Trinity Lutheran Church

July 10, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lagers with the Lord July 22, 6 pm at Buckshots! Come join us for a time of faithful conversation.  All are welcome!

Vacation Bible School is July 29-August 1^st.  9 am till Noon for all 4 year olds through 6^th graders.  Our theme this year is “Superheroes for God!”  Games, Crafts, Songs, and fun for all.  It is free this year.  There are registration forms in the Good News and on the table in the Narthex. We need helpers to provide snacks, be extra hands for our kids, and to serve snacks in the kitchen.  Sign-up in the Narthex or contact the office if you are willing to help. 

Please pray for our 27 youth and 6 adults that will be at the ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans July 14^th-21^st! Pray for safe travels and for a wonderful experience as they grow in faith, serve the people of New Orleans, and meet others from all over the United States.

The Women of Trinity are collecting for Personal Care kits during the month of July. You can bring any or all of the items needed to make a kit. These are the items needed: 1- light weight bath size towel, dark color preferred. Kits include: 2- bath size bar soap, 1- adult size toothbrush in original package, 1- sturdy comb, 1- metal nail clipper: attached file optional. Thank you for helping us help others!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

 Well, my sabbatical (dubbed the “Sabradical” by my friend Pastor Tim) is at an end and I would like to start with a couple of things.  First, I only entered the church one time and that was to print something and I never went into my office, only Andrea’s.  Second, I did a very good job of staying away from work not only because Amy threatened me with bodily harm (mostly kidding) but because I wanted to be true to what this time was supposed to be about.  When I did have to do something work related, it was 99% of the time related to the Youth Gathering and couldn’t be helped.  Third, I want to give massive thanks to Andrea for all she had to do in my absence, to all of the pastors who filled in for me, to our church staff for all the extra stuff they had to take on, to Sandy, Becky, Perry, Paige, and Marik for livestreaming the services, and for all of you who did such a wonderful job of honoring the sabbatical.  I’m very interested to see what is going to be on my desk when I walk this morning for the first time since June 8^th.

  But I want to share three things I am taking away from my “sabradical” to share with all of you but before I do, I will share with you one overall arching theme.  I very much disliked it.  Here we go.

1. The best thing about it was being home every night.  I can’t overstate that this.  Amy and I had some wonderful experiences with trips to Missouri and Door County and Milwaukee but the best thing was being home every night.  Having dinner together.  Watching shows together.  Hanging out together.  That can be a very rare thing for us, especially in the spring.  I bet in the run up to the sabbatical I maybe average being home two nights a week since early April. So to be home every night, hanging with Amy and Baxter, was an incredible gift and one that I cherished and something that I need to think about more in the future.  If the purpose of the sabbatical was to help me to get renewal, there is nothing that does it more than being able to be home at night with Amy.
2. I enjoyed visiting other churches.  On the three Sundays we were in town I visited three different churches, heading up to Katie’s church in Lake Nebagamon (where a couple of Trinity members followed me and I scared Katie half to death), Zion in Woodville, and Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Eau Claire.  I have friends who pastor those churches and it was fun to see how other people do things but it was also fun to experience things as a random visitor and to get a different perspective. But it was also just nice to worship.  I enjoyed that opportunity a lot. 
3. In the end, though, I really missed doing this job I love. I have felt like I have been gone for a year.  This time was a reminder that being a pastor is not just a job it is who I am.  I had no outlet for my energies, no place to put my thoughts, no structure to my day.  At one point I forgot what month it was.  I need structure and direction and didn’t really have it.  When I had an idea, Amy allowed me to put a quick note down but I couldn’t flesh it out.  I realized my max weeding before going crazy was 45 minutes.  Loved golfing but can’t do it all day. I missed talking to you all, of planning Bible studies and crafting sermons and visiting you in your homes.  I wondered how people were doing and thinking about what we might do in confirmation in September.  But in this I also learned that the church can survive without me.  Worship services happened.  Funerals happened.  Events happened.  All without me.  Which means that maybe, just maybe, I don’t need to worry quite so much about it all as well.  But the biggest lesson of all is that I will probably never do this again.  Ever. 

I am so thankful that I got the opportunity to try a “Sabradical.” I’m thankful for everyone that made it happen and for all the insights I might continue to learn from it as I continue to reflect from it.  But I’m most thankful that I get to go back into my office and get back to doing what I love and tonight I’m going to stand up and preach.  Hopefully I remember how to do this job!

  May God be with you today and always!

June 2,  2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lagers with the Lord June 3, 6 pm at Buckshot’s!

Women’s Spring Gathering is June 6th at 5pm. All women are welcome and encouraged to come!  Entertainment provided by the Boyceville High School Choir

The Women of Trinity will be highlighting baby care kits for June. If you are going to garage sales this summer these are some of the items we need: size 6-24 months – sleepers or gowns, cotton t-shirts, light jackets, sweaters or hooded sweatshirts, receiving blankets, dark colored hand towels and baby socks. We can also use Onsies, we cut them off to make t-shirts. You can pick up a list of what is needed on the table by the kitchen where the display is set up. Thank you for helping us help others! WE ARE LOOKING FOR 300 BARS OF SOAP! Fill the baby tub up on the Narthex with soap. 

Pastor Brad is going on sabbatical June 8th-July 9th. Please note that during this time he will be completely absent from the congregation and its ministry. He will not be returning calls, texts, or emails. You can find more information on his sabbatical in the Good News.

Sabbatical Contact List (June 8-July 9)

For all general needs or questions: Parish Manager Andrea McVeigh, 715-643-3821, during church office hours, Monday through Thursday, 9 am till 1 pm.

Need to get into the building or to have the building opened/closed? Trudie Chernak, Church Custodian, 715-643-2148 or Ted Litzkow, 715-702-1415

General questions or issues that may arise: Lenny Lange, Church Council President, 715-928-1172

Pastoral Emergencies: Pastor Judy Kincaid, 906-399-1387

Fellowship Servers Needed!  Please sign-up in the Narthex or contact the office.  Cheese, crackers, and coffee are provided.  You don’t need to provide anything more than that if you desire.  You may use anything not marked in the pantry. 

Vacation Bible School is July 29-August 1^st.  9 am till Noon for all 4 year olds through 6^th graders.  Our theme this year is “Superheroes for God!”  Games, Crafts, Songs, and fun for all.  It is free this year.  There are registration forms in the Good News and on the table in the Narthex.  We need helpers to provide snacks, be extra hands for our kids, and to serve snacks in the kitchen.  Sign-up in the Narthex or contact the office if you are willing to help. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  “Be still and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10

  When I was in 8^th grade, every student had to meet with the junior high guidance counselor before going into high school.  When I went to meet with her, she said the following phrase to me: “Brad, I hope that sometime in your life, you might take some time to stop and smell the roses.”  Well, these many years later, I’m about to take some time to stop and smell the roses, as I go on a 34-day sabbatical.  I actually never thought I would take a sabbatical.  Never in a million years, despite it being recommended.  Even as I have seen many of my friends take one or even two of them already in their ministry.

  Why?  I love my job.  And it isn’t even that.  I love work.  I love to work.  I love to be busy.  I love to run from one thing to another thing to another thing.  Amy loves to tease me that I come home from work to work some more.  Andrea can tell you that I sent all sorts of emails at all sorts of odd hours.  It is just who I am.  Even on vacation, I’m often working.  Filing away ideas for sermons, Bible studies, devotions.  Thinking about schedules, events, replying to emails.  What many people would consider to be unhealthy behavior.  What can I say?  I love to work. I got it from my parents who got it from their parents.  It is part of who I am.

   But I also know that there is a danger.  This amazing job and calling that I have can also be so consuming that it can swallow everything else in life.  It can drain a person physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically.  After 22 years, it is time to be still for a bit.  To unplug.  To smell the roses.  To do so before my body or my mind makes me do it.  Having some of the health issues I did in 2023 brought that need into focus.  I’m thankful for the support of Church Council and this congregation that is allowing me to take this opportunity to be still.  To stop and smell the roses, even if it is only for 34 days.  It doesn’t seem that long when I type it out but I guarantee you that to me it seems like a century.

  The question I have gotten asked a lot of is this: what are you going to do?  To be honest, my hope is not that much.  I’m going to celebrate my niece’s graduation in Illinois.  Amy and I are taking small trips to Missouri (I can’t wait to eat some Kansas City BBQ) and to Door County and Milwaukee.  I’m going to play a lot of golf and visit some friend’s churches for worship to be renewed spiritually.  But mostly, I hope to be still.  To enjoy, well, doing nothing for a bit.  To not think about the schedule or the next thing or worry about what the offering was or who I need to check in on or if I have a good idea for next week’s Facebook devotion or what the heck I’m going to preach on this upcoming Sunday.  To just be. 

  I think it is going to be great.  Or it might be awful.  Either way, I do know this: Jesus Christ is going to be there, as he always is, walking besides me as he walks besides you.  I have no doubt I will miss seeing all of you in church but I look forward to seeing you out in the community on walks with the dog or at Cenex getting gas.  Say hi when you see me.  But I’ll see you again inside Trinity on July 10^th.  Until that day, remember this: Jesus loves you and is with you always.  And that it is ok sometimes to just be still.

   May God be with you today and always. 

May 26,  2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS

No Bible Study Monday– Happy Memorial Day! Office will be closed

Memorial Day Prayer Service on May 27th at 11:45 am at Tiffany Creek Cemetery

Women’s Spring Gathering is June 6th at 5pm. All women are welcome and encouraged to come!  Entertainment provided by the Boyceville High School Choir

Final Push to New Orleans! Help the Youth Gathering Youth in their final push to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans! Use the sheet in your bulletin to donate and help feed and house our youth and put gas in the vans. Thank you for your support! See the thermometer in the Narthex for our progress towards our goal. Thank you to all who gave! We raised $5713.00

The Women of Trinity will be highlighting baby care kits for the months of May and June. If you are going to garage sales this summer these are some of the items we need: size 6-24 months – sleepers or gowns, cotton t-shirts, light jackets, sweaters or hooded sweatshirts, receiving blankets, dark colored hand towels and baby socks. We can also use Onsies, we cut them off to make t-shirts. You can pick up a list of what is needed on the table by the kitchen where the display is set up. Thank you for helping us help others!

Pastor Brad is going on sabbatical June 8th-July 9th. Please note that during this time he will be completely absent from the congregation and its ministry. He will not be returning calls, texts, or emails. You can find more information on his sabbatical in the Good News.

Sabbatical Contact List (June 8-July 9)

For all general needs or questions: Parish Manager Andrea McVeigh, 715-643-3821, during church office hours, Monday through Thursday, 9 am till 1 pm.

Need to get into the building or to have the building opened/closed? Trudie Chernak, Church Custodian, 715-643-2148 or Ted Litzkow, 715-702-1415

General questions or issues that may arise: Lenny Lange, Church Council President, 715-928-1172

Pastoral Emergencies: Pastor Judy Kincaid, 906-399-1387

Fellowship Servers Needed!  Please sign-up in the Narthex or contact the office.  Cheese, crackers, and coffee are provided.  You don’t need to provide anything more than that if you desire.  You may use anything not marked in the pantry. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”  Isaiah 6:8

  This verse is from our first reading this Sunday on this Memorial Day weekend from the call of Isaiah.  As we honor those who have given there lives in service to this country this weekend, we remember their sacrifice and their willingness to raise their hand.  To say answer the call and the question, “who will go for us?”  They answered the call to protect us and to protect the freedom of all us.  That means they gave their lives for people they didn’t know, that might have had different colored skin than them, practiced different religion than them, voted differently than them, just to name a few.  Yet, they still answered the call.  That is what it means to be a patriot and that is what it means to be a servant.

  We tend to think of all of the reasons of why we can’t serve.  We don’t have the time.  We think we don’t have the skills or the gifts.  We might wonder what we get out of it.  We are too old, too young, not worthy, and on and on and on.  Sometimes the service might seem to be too big or too daunting.  Sometimes we think that we might offend someone by doing it or step on someone else’s toes.  Or we just think someone else will take care of it because it has always been taken care of. 

  The Lord is asking you today, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”  The Lord is asking you to serve.  To serve your neighbor.  To serve your community.  To serve your church.  To serve your nation.  To serve the wider world.  To do this by with love and compassion and kindness.  By giving of some time and some resources.  By using your gifts in whatever way you can.  I hope that you may take some time in prayer to think about how you can be a servant.  We need servants. We need you.

  I am eternally grateful for those who gave their lives for our freedom and for those servants who answered the call to serve our country.  I give thanks for the servants who every day serve the neighbor and serve the Lord in both ways big and small.  And I give thanks for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who loves and saves us and calls each of us to be servants in our own way.  May God be with you today and always. 

May 12,  2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Graduate Recognition Sunday, May 19^th.

Final Push to New Orleans! Help the Youth Gathering Youth in their final push to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans! Use the sheet in your bulletin to donate and help feed and house our youth and put gas in the vans. Thank you for your support! See the thermometer in the Narthex for our progress towards our goal. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!  Current total is $5,403!

Lagers with the Lord May 20th, 6 pm at Buckshots.

Memorial Day Prayer Service, May 27^th, 11:45 am at Tiffany Creek Cemetery.  Sponsored by the Boyceville Ministerial Association.

The Women of Trinity will be highlighting Baby Care Kits for May and June.  They are looking for the following in sizes 6-24 months: sleepers, light jackets, cotton t-shirts, light jackets, sweaters; plus receiving blankets, dark colored hand towels, baby socks, and onesies.  You can pick up a list of what is needed on the altar in the Narthex. 

Women of Trinity Summer Gathering June 7^th at 6 pm.  All women are welcome!

Pastor Brad is going on sabbatical June 8th -July 9th . Please note that during this time he will be completely absent from the congregation and its ministry. He will not be returning calls, texts, or emails. You can find more information on his sabbatical in the Good News.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  I didn’t really want to go.  Really didn’t.  It was late and I was exhausted.  Exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally.  It had been a hard time.  I had left the house at about 5:30 am or so that day and other than about a ten minute stop back I had been gone till 9:15 pm.  Now, it was close to 10, and Amy wanted to go look at the Northern Lights.  I really didn’t want to go.

  I had every excuse in the book ready.  It was cloudy, even though it wasn’t.  My car was fully packed with stuff and there was no room, even though we could take her car.  The fact was I didn’t really want to go.  I wanted to sit in my house and stew in my sadness and finish the drink I had just poured for myself.  It didn’t matter in that moment that I had never seen the Northern Lights before.  It didn’t matter that Amy hadn’t seen them before either, at least to me in that moment.  I just didn’t want to go.

  But this is the genius of Amy.  She waited a bit because she knew, I think, two things.  First, that she wanted to go and could probably get me to go.  But more importantly, maybe I needed to go.  That it had been a tough day, a hard day, in some ways a horrible day, because you know it has been a bad day when I had golfed and was still in a crappy mood.  And so she asked again, about five minutes later.  In that time I had checked the weather and seen that it was clear.  I had thought about the selfishness of denying Amy something she really wanted to see.  I saw that it was dumb and that we could just take her car instead of mine and that we could just drive a few minutes outside of town to get a good look.  And that, in reality, when would we ever get a chance to view them again like this?  And so, I said yes.  Even though I really didn’t want to go, even as I put my shoes and socks on and moved my car and opened the garage and got her car out of it. 

  But about ten minutes later, as I stood next to her and Baxter as we stared into the heavens looking at something I had never seen before, a sight of wonder and awe and the majesty of God’s creative force, I knew that I had needed to go.  In that moment, though my heart was still hurting and my body was still exhausted, I felt some release.  I was reminded that even in the most difficult of times, there is still beauty.  There is still joy.  There is still hope.  As I stood next to the woman I loved, with my little family close by, I felt the presence of the Lord reminding me that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it. 

  Maybe Amy knew that is what I would feel in that moment.  Maybe not.  Maybe she just really wanted to see the lights and knew she could get me to take her.  Maybe she just knew that I needed a little pick me up and wanted to get me out of my funk. I have no idea.  But I needed to stand there with her and Baxter in that moment and the Lord took that opportunity to ease the burden I was feeling in that moment. 

  Because that is the thing about the Lord, my friends.  Our loving God takes opportunities to remind us that even in the hardest of times, those moments when we feel spent, when the bucket seems empty in every way, to fill us back up.  To get us back on our feet.  To remind us that we are not alone.  To give us comfort, even for an instant.  Life can be hard and cruel and awful and tragic and painful.  Extraordinarily so.  But at the same time, even when all that is going on, it can also be beautiful and magical and amazing and joyful and extraordinary.  Both things are true at the same time.  And in the midst of it all is our amazing Lord.  Always there for us.

  I’d love to tell you that as we got back in the car that I was somehow fully my chipper self again.  I wasn’t.  I was still exhausted and still hurting.  But not as much.  I was lighter than I had been. However, something new was there as well.  It was thankfulness.  I was thankful for Amy, for Baxter, for the chance to experience the wonder of God’s creation, and thankful for God’s presence in my life and even for life itself, its ups and downs.  Because life is a precious gift that I never want to take for granted.  For every moment, even the hard ones, are important.  And in all of them, I remember the promise of our Savior: “I am with you always, till the end of the age.” 

  May God bless you today and always. 

May 4,  2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Men’s Band Worship, Sunday, May 5^th, 9 am

Smelt Feed, Sunday, May 5^th, 10am till 11:30 am. Smelt, Meatballs, Chips, Baked Beans, Garlic Bread, Dessert.  Free-will offering taken to benefit our Youth going to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering. 

Calling all Men! We are looking for help with the Smelt Feed on May 5^th.  See the sign-up in the Narthex.  We are also looking for some turkey fryers and oil as well. 

Graduate Recognition Sunday, May 19^th.

Final Push to New Orleans! Help the Youth Gathering Youth in their final push to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans! Use the sheet in your bulletin to donate and help feed and house our youth and put gas in the vans. Thank you for your support! See the thermometer in the Narthex for our progress towards our goal.

Lagers with the Lord May 20th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Pastor Brad is going on sabbatical June 8th -July 9th . Please note that during this time he will be completely absent from the congregation and its ministry. He will not be returning calls, texts, or emails. If you need to have a baptism or wedding performed prior to his sabbatical or during the summer, please contact him ASAP to get it scheduled. You can find more information on his sabbatical in the Good News

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  I was recently reminded of something.  On Saturday, I went to see Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in the movie theater in honor of its 25^th anniversary (it was originally released on May 16^th, 1999).  I remember when it came out my first year of seminary.  I saw it three times in the first 24 hours with my best friend Ryan.  I sat out in the rain to get tickets, skipping classes.  I sat outside for hours at a Toys ‘R Us to get the toys when they went on sale at midnight.  It was a big deal for me. 

  Of course, you all know I love Star Wars.  I have loved Star Wars for a long time.  I fell in love with it as a kid, especially in the early 1980’s.  There is a great picture of me sleeping on Return of the Jedi sheets.  I had the Ewok Village and Jabba’s Palace play sets.  Yet, as I went through elementary school, I started to grow out of Star Wars.  This is natural, just as I stopped playing with He-Man toys and GI Joe’s.  I got more and more into sports.  It wasn’t that I didn’t like Star Wars anymore, it just wasn’t nearly as important.  Not that big of a deal. 

  I didn’t really fall back in love with Star Wars again until high school.  It was when I became friends with my best friend Ryan, who loved Star Wars, that I fell back in love with it again.  He was my first friend that really didn’t love sports and we bonded over our shared love of Star Wars.  I started to watch the movies more and more, got into the myriad of books that were keeping the story alive, and my fandom grew.  It grew so much that I started, as a high schooler and then into college, asking for Star Wars toys for Christmas, something I hadn’t done since my younger days.

  And here is where my Mom comes in.  It was about this time, these late high school years and early college years, where my Mom begins to wonder a little bit about me.  Her no longer teen son is asking for Star Wars toys.  Getting Star Wars things.  This was something she thought I had left behind in my childhood.  Of course, by now, George Lucas had announced that a new set of movies were going to be made.  And I am at a fever pitch and consuming everything and anything I can about Star Wars. 

  It was about this time, 25 years ago, that I got a letter in the mail from my Mom.  Picked up in my mailbox at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN.  It was an article from Newsweek magazine, photocopied.  My Mom would do this from time to time.  Copy articles she thought might interest us and then send them to us in the mail (now you would just send a text or a link to a website).  The article was about rabid Star Wars fans.  One was about a couple that had a massive and elaborate Star Wars wedding.  One was about someone who had their whole house Star Wars themed.  I can’t quite remember what the other examples were.  But what was most important was the post-it note that was attached to the front of the article (my Mom loved post-it notes).  I will never forget what the note said.  It said this: “I used to think that maybe there was something wrong with you.  Now I know that you are normal.”

  See, my Mom was worried about her adult son wanting toys.  About being obsessed with something he loved as a child.  She was worried about me.  Yet, she had never said anything to me.  She had never not bought me the Star Wars stuff I put on my Christmas list or asked for my birthday.  But then she saw that there was a whole community of people like me.  It was a reminder that my Mom, who would have turned 78 on Sunday, always let me be me.  And I always appreciated that about her. 

  I have always loved Star Wars for many reasons.  But the reason I still love it today is because it is ultimately a story about hope.  Hope in the midst of evil.  Hope in the midst of seemingly impossible odds.  Hope in redemption.  Hope that is found when we put our faith in something bigger than ourselves. 

   The funny thing is, to this day, I do not know if my Mom liked Star Wars.  Ever saw Star Wars.  But she never stopped me from loving it, whether it was when I was a kid or an adult.  And for that I will always be grateful, for her always letting me be me.  My hope is that you can be you, love the things that you love, and that you let others love the things that they love.  Even if they love Jar Jar Binks (that’s a Star Wars reference.  Look it up.)

  May God be with you today and always. 

April 21, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April! Every Saturday in April, from 9 am till noon, we are collecting items as a fundraiser for the Women of Trinity.  All items should be clean and in good condition.  Place clothes and shoes in trash bags and all other items in boxes.

Men’s Band Worship, Sunday, May 5^th, 9 am

Smelt Feed, Sunday, May 5^th, 10am till 11:30 am. Smelt, Meatballs, Chips, Baked Beans, Garlic Bread, Dessert.  Free-will offering taken to benefit our Youth going to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering. 

Calling all Men! We are looking for help with the Smelt Feed on May 5^th.  See the sign-up in the Narthex.  We are also looking for some turkey fryers and oil as well. 

Graduate Recognition Sunday, May 19^th.

Final Push to New Orleans! Help the Youth Gathering Youth in their final push to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans! Use the sheet in your bulletin to donate and help feed and house our youth and put gas in the vans. Thank you for your support! See the thermometer in the Narthex for our progress towards our goal.

Lagers with the Lord May 20th, 6 pm at Buckshots.

Pastor Brad is going on sabbatical June 8th -July 9th . Please note that during this time he will be completely absent from the congregation and its ministry. He will not be returning calls, texts, or emails. If you need to have a baptism or wedding performed prior to his sabbatical or during the summer, please contact him ASAP to get it scheduled. You can find more information on his sabbatical in the Good News

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

 On Friday morning, I stepped on the scale to measure my weight fully expecting what number would show up.  I expected to be at the same weight I had been at for about the same month, maybe even a pound or two heavier.  I had good reason for this.  I had been to the doctor ten days prior who had told me to not be frustrated if I had a stall in my weight loss journey and that was to be expected, especially since a medication I was supposed to be on was out with a shortage and that sometimes you stall out for a little while.  Secondly, due to umpiring, sometimes I hadn’t been exercising as hard in the morning due to being pretty sore from some long games and late nights.  So imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scale for the first time in five days and found that I was five pound LIGHTER!  I was so surprised, in fact, that I weighted myself again, just to be sure.  But it was true.  I was completely surprised.  It was a good surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

  Sometimes we think we got it all figured out.  Sometimes we think we know exactly how something is going to go. All the evidence points to something happening only one way.  But then something surprising happens.  That surprise can be a good thing.  It can be a bad thing.  But the fact that the surprise happens at all can shake us up.  It can make us question and wonder.  But surprises are a part of life.  After all, God is often present in the surprises of life, good or bad. God is there to comfort when the surprises are bad and there to rejoice when the surprises are good.  But God often uses the surprise of life to remind us that God is faithful to us.  No matter what happens, God will be there.  No matter what curveballs come our way, God will be there. Loving you.  Saving you.  Forgiving you. 

  Surprises will come our way.  Some will be good.  Some will be bad.  But you are ready for them.  You are ready because God is by your side.  You are ready for whatever life throws at your because you are saved and redeemed by Jesus Christ and God is faithful and will be with you always.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”  

April 14, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

LAST CREW OF THE YEAR, APRIL 17^TH  3:30 pm till 5pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders.

Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April! Every Saturday in April, from 9 am till noon, we are collecting items as a fundraiser for the Women of Trinity.  All items should be clean and in good condition.  Place clothes and shoes in trash bags and all other items in boxes.

Men’s Band Worship, Sunday, May 5^th, 9 am

Smelt Feed, Sunday, May 5^th, 10am till 11:30 am. Smelt, Meatballs, Chips, Baked Beans, Garlic Bread, Dessert.  Free-will offering taken to benefit our Youth going to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering. 

Calling all Men! We are looking for help with the Smelt Feed on May 5^th.  See the sign-up in the Narthex.  We are also looking for some turkey fryers and oil as well. 

Luther Park Work Day  Saturday, April 20^th, 8:30 am till 4:30 pm.  Help Luther Park get ready for the summer!  Painting, yard work, carpentry, wood splitting, staining, and much more!  If you are interested in going, please let PB know or just head on up to camp and they will assign you a job!  All ages can help!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

   There is a t-shirt company that was founded by a single guy in Chicago called “Obvious Shirts” in which very straightforward obvious phrases are placed on a shirt.  It started with him making a shirt for himself and wearing it to Wrigley Field that said “Jake Arrieta is good at baseball” during one of the last regular season games in 2015.  It got so many positive comments from people at the game that he decided to start making shirts fulltime and now he has a thriving business that not only does Chicago shirts but shirts in other cities as well.  I own a couple of them, my favorite being, “The greatest game ever played was on a Wednesday in Cleveland,” referencing Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. 

  I also have one that says, “I like the Cubs.”  Straight forward.  Obvious (duh).  I like the Cubs.  States who I am.  We have a scripture reading in 1^st John that is an obvious statement that is so obvious that we might take it for granted.  Here it is, from 1John 3:1: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.”  We are children of God.  You might be thinking to yourself, “Well, duh, PB.  I know this.  I’m a child of God.”

  But do you?  I think it is really easy to forget who we are.  I think the world likes to tell us all sorts of things about our identity and who we are or who we should be.  That we should place our identity on financial and material success.  That it should be placed on how other people view us, on accolades and accomplishments garnished at our jobs or in our communities.  I know I have done this.  I remember struggling when I turned 40 wondering how I would be perceived that I would no longer be considered the “young pastor.”  It is fun to hang out with young pastors now who actually accept me despite me being ten years older than them.  We so often wrap our identity up in so many other things than the one that matters the most: we are children of God.

  You are a child of God.  This means you are loved, even when you sin. You are a child of God, which means Jesus Christ is there to carry your burdens, forgive you of your sins, and bring you to everlasting life.  You are a child of God and God’s promises to you will never be taken away and you are never alone.  I know it seems to be the most obvious thing in the world.  But it is something we need to be reminded of every day.  Hmm, maybe we should put it on a shirt.  😊

  May God bless you today and always!

April 7, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, April 8^th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Youth Service, Sunday, April 14^th, 9 am.

LAST CREW OF THE YEAR, APRIL 17^TH  3:30 pm till 5pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders.

Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April! Every Saturday in April, from 9 am till noon, we are collecting items as a fundraiser for the Women of Trinity.  All items should be clean and in good condition.  Place clothes and shoes in trash bags and all other items in boxes.

Men’s Band Worship, Sunday, May 5^th, 9 am

Smelt Feed, Sunday, May 5^th, 10am till 11:30 am. Smelt, Meatballs, Chips, Baked Beans, Garlic Bread, Dessert.  Free-will offering taken to benefit our Youth going to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering. 

Calling all Men! We are looking for help with the Smelt Feed on May 5^th.  See the sign-up in the Narthex.  We are also looking for some turkey fryers and oil as well. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2

With it being “spring,” the requests from our high school seniors for letters of recommendation have been coming fast and furious.  A letter of recommendation is, of course, a way to advocate for someone, whether it so that they can receive a scholarship or get a job or even an award.  I have had the pleasure and the honor to be someone that has had to advocate for someone else, to lift them up for something worthy, to be a champion if you will for them.  One of the things I loved as part of the Candidacy Committee of our Synod was advocating for our candidates when they needed someone to be there for them. 

   Here in 1 John we hear that Jesus is an advocate for us.  We need someone who will be there for us. for we sin and fall short of the glory of God.  Sure, we try our best.  We try to live according to God’s will, to love our neighbor as ourselves, to have no other Gods, to have faith in Jesus Christ.  We try to follow the commandments and be the hands and feet of God in the world.  But we so often fall short.  We make mistakes.  We put other things before God.  We make other things God.  We don’t always act with love and grace and compassion.  We covet power and riches and exploit those different than us and whom we deem to be less than us.  We sin.  We are sinners. 

  And yet, we have Jesus, the Son of God, the one who we put on the cross for our sins, advocating for us.  Sacrificing for us and for those sins.  This Jesus, this Messiah, does this for you because he loves you.  Despite your sin.  Despite your mistakes.  Despite all the times when you forget about him and put others before him.  That is the depth of Christ’s love for you.  He still dies for you.  He still advocates for you.  He still brings you to eternal life. 

   We are lucky to have an advocate for us like Jesus Christ.  May we take a moment to be an advocate for him from time to time, to share his grace and love with others, to lift up the lowly and be a voice for the voiceless and the persecuted and the downtrodden.  May we never take for granted the gracious gift of forgiveness we receive because the Son of God Jesus Christ advocates for us and becomes the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”

March 17, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Lent 2024: “Why Follow?”

Grace: (March 20) Following Jesus allows us to live in God’s grace each day and to share that grace with others. Ephesians 2:8-9. Meal served by the Youth Gathering Youth.  OUR LAST ONE!

Crew on March 20th, 3:30 pm till 5pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders.

Butter Braids  Order Butter Braids to support our Youth Gathering Youth and Confirmation Youth!  Sale ends on April 7^th.  Please see any youth gathering youth or confirmation youth.  There is also an order form on the table in the Narthex.  You can also click on this link, select any student, and order from them:  https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/0ced3a55-9230-4e70-b708-e3cd8d6e1eff

Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April! Every Saturday in April, from 9 am till noon, we are collecting items as a fundraiser for the Women of Trinity.  All items should be clean and in good condition.  Place clothes and shoes in trash bags and all other items in boxes.

Maundy Thursday Worship, March 28^th, 6:30 pm

Good Friday Worship, March 29^th, Noon &  6:30 pm

Easter Sunday Worship, March 31^st, 6:30 am & 9:00 am. 

Easter Breakfast March 31^st, 7:30 am till 8:30 am.  Biscuits & Gravy, Bacon, Sausage, Hashbrowns, Fruit, Beverage.  Free-will offering.  Served by the Confirmation Youth. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  We were absolutely surrounded.  Now, that might sound like an ominous sentence, but we were not in any danger.  There was no anger or fear or hatred involved here.  Rather, it was joy and awe.  Amy and I were on a whale watching tour off of Newport Beach, CA, but we were not surrounded by whales (we did see three, which was cool).  Instead of whales, what was all around our boat, were dolphins.

  Everywhere we looked, there were dolphins.  Not just 25 of them or 50 of them.  Not even a hundred of them.  Hundreds of them.  Even our guide was in awe.  They were swimming on all sides of the boat as we motored through the water.  As far as we looked, we could see them jumping and darting to and fro.  We were in absolute shock and awe.  Such grace, such beauty, such joy as we watched these magnificent creatures.  I mean, we had seen dolphins before.  Heck, on the tour we had seen a few here and there and we would even run into a pod of bottlenose dolphins (these were common dolphins).  But not like this.  Not out in their natural habitat.  Not so many of them.

  Despite everything else that happened on our vacation, I can safely say that this was our favorite moment.  It was also a reminder of just how amazing God’s creation is and how it can just leave us in awe.  It was also a reminder to be open to the unexpected in life.  You never know what might happen.  We went on a whale watching tour and though we saw whales, the best part was something different.  God brings unexpected joys in life.

  Side story: the other fun thing of the tour was we were joined by two friends, Rosie & Beth.  We actually met Rosie & Beth the day before during a Cocktail Class at the Food & Wine Festival at Disney’s California Adventure.  They were at our table and we mentioned the whale watching thing.  They were originally going to just going to go to the beach but thought the tour would be fun, so they called up the company we mentioned, and there they were.  They greeted us with “We aren’t stalking you!”  They were super fun people.  Again, unexpected joys.

  Allow yourself to be open to see the unexpected joys that God might bring in your life.  Remember that there is so much beauty and joy around you.  Take a risk from time to time.  You never know what might happen! 

  May God bless you today and always!

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Me, Amy, Nick (our Captain), Rosie, Beth

March 5, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Lent 2024: “Why Follow?” Holden Evening Prayer worship at 6:30 pm, Meal at 5:30 pm every Wednesday night starting on February 21^st.

Strength (March 6): Following Jesus gives us strength beyond just ourselves. Matthew 11:28 -30. Meal served by Church Council.

Hope: (March 13) Following Jesus gives us hope for the future and an assurance that God’s mercy is for us. Hebrews 11:1. Meal served by the Women of Trinity.

Grace: (March 20) Following Jesus allows us to live in God’s grace each day and to share that grace with others. Ephesians 2:8-9. Meal served by the Youth Gathering Youth.

Crew on March 6th, 3:30 pm till 5pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders.

Order Easter Lillies! You can adorn the sanctuary with Easter Lillies for Easter by ordering them by Sunday, March 10^th.  Make checks payable to Trinity.  See attached form.  No orders will be accepted after March 10^th. 

Butter Braids  Order Butter Braids to support our Youth Gathering Youth and Confirmation Youth!  Sale ends on April 7^th.  Please see any youth gathering youth or confirmation youth.  There is also an order form on the table in the Narthex.  You can also click on this link, select any student, and order from them:  https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/0ced3a55-9230-4e70-b708-e3cd8d6e1eff

Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April! Every Saturday in April, from 9 am till noon, we are collecting items as a fundraiser for the Women of Trinity.  All items should be clean and in good condition.  Place clothes and shoes in trash bags and all other items in boxes.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Then God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. Genesis 1:3

  Have you noticed something different recently?  Something maybe a little brighter?  Maybe as you drove by the church or when you stepped into the fellowship hall?  We have some new lights!  In our parking lot, the lights on our light pole were broken and instead of just replacing the old ones, we decided to upgrade to LED lights which are much brighter and more energy efficient.  At the same time, we decided to fix all the lights around the outside of the church as well over our door ways, again replacing all the lights with new LED ones.  Not only does this help to illuminate the outside of the church, it helps us with safety and security. 

  At the same time, despite heroic efforts from Lyndon Schmidt over the years, as well as others, our fellowship hall lights were starting to fail.  And so we made the decision to replace and upgrade all of those as well, again with energy efficient LED lights.  They are much brighter and now all the lights even match! 

  We were able to do this because of your generosity and your financial contributions.  Now, replacing lights might not seem like a big deal but it is.  The parking lot was dark and unsafe.  New lights have made it safer.  The new lights in the fellowship hall have really brightened it up and will save on our electric bill.  All of this is because of your financial support to this congregation.  So thank you!

  And don’t forget that every day God shines light into your life through Jesus Christ.  The light of the world shines upon you every day, showing you that you are loved, forgiven, and saved.  May God bless you today and always!