Trinity Lutheran Church

September 10, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Sunday School starts back up Sunday, September 10^th at 9:45 am.

Youth Mission Trip Presentation will be Sunday, September 10^th at 9:45 am. Come see the amazing work our youth did in Colorado.

2024 ELCA Youth Gathering Informational Meeting: Sunday, September 10^th, 10:15 am.  The Youth Gathering is in New Orleans July 15-21, 2024.  All current high school students can attend.

It’s back to school time!! The WOT will be collecting items for our local schools and for kits to go to Lutheran World Relief. There are two different boxes set out for collection so make sure you put yours in the box you want your items to go to. The bags you take off the pews are the ones that go to Lutheran World Relief and each bag has a printed copy of all items needed to fill that bag. There are copies of items needed for our local schools on the display table by the kitchen. Thank you for helping us help others!

Sign up to bring snacks for Crew and/or Sunday School.  Any and all are very much appreciated. Sign ups are on the table in the Narthex.

The Crew begins on Wednesday, September 20^th, for all 3^rd-6^th graders from 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm.

Sunday, September 17^th is Blessing of the Animals and Parking Lot worship. Bring a chair and your beloved pets.

We invite all teachers, school personnel, and day care workers to join us for worship on Sunday, September 24^th, as we bless and honor their work.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  One of our favorite traditions here at Trinity is “Mission Madness.”  This month-long event is an opportunity for us to raise funds for our mission partners, which are organizations like Luther Park Bible Camp, WestCAP, Stepping Stones, the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, and more.  We do this by you all giving money to our benevolences, or earmarking offerings to one of our organizational partners, and I do what I like to call “stupid stuff.” Over the years, I have worn too many Packers and Brewers things to remember, eaten most of the food I absolutely hate (though not ALL), grown beards, did the hula in a grass skirt, defeated Katie Wagner in a tricycle race and spaghetti eating contest, and been smashed in the face with pies and cupcakes, just to name a few of the things we have done.  The important part of all it is supporting our mission partners but doing so in a fun way. 

  For this year, I thought it might be fun to let YOU choose what “stupid stuff” I will do this year.  The below list is a combination of suggestions from my own brain, one of our high school youth, and my wife Amy.  I invite you to respond to this email with your choices by September 24^th.  Mission Madness this year will start on October 1^st and go through November 5^th.  Thanks for voting and for supporting our Mission partners!  

Mission Madness 2023

Choose five from the following options:

____PB can’t wear any Star Wars clothing for two weeks.

____PB dresses as a clown one morning for crossing guard.

____PB cannot eat any BBQ for one month.

____PB takes a chocolate cake to the face.

____PB dresses as Packers fan or player for Halloween

____PB must lead his Pastor’s Conference meeting in the Packer poncho

____PB must eat a serving size of mayonnaise

____PB must grow a beard for a whole month

____PB gets pelted by water balloons after the Men’s Band concert in November.

____PB has to drink one cup of church coffee

____PB wears an inflatable dinosaur costume

____PB sings “I’m a Little Teapot” in front of the congregation. 

September 3, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

OFFICE CLOSED ON SEPTEMBER 4^TH FOR LABOR DAY

Confirmation starts back up Wednesday, September 6^th at 5:30pm for 7^th graders. 8^th graders will start the following week.

Women of Trinity Fall Gathering, Thursday, September 7^th at 6 pm.  Bring a dish to pass. 

Sunday School starts back up Sunday, September 10^th at 9:45 am.

Youth Mission Trip Presentation will be Sunday, September 10^th at 9:45 am. Come see the amazing work our youth did in Colorado.

2024 ELCA Youth Gathering Informational Meeting: Sunday, September 10^th, 10:15 am.  The Youth Gathering is in New Orleans July 15-21, 2024.  All current high school students can attend.

It’s back to school time!! The WOT will be collecting items for our local schools and for kits to go to Lutheran World Relief. There are two different boxes set out for collection so make sure you put yours in the box you want your items to go to. The bags you take off the pews are the ones that go to Lutheran World Relief and each bag has a printed copy of all items needed to fill that bag. There are copies of items needed for our local schools on the display table by the kitchen. Thank you for helping us help others!

Sign up to bring snacks for Crew and/or Sunday School.  Any and all are very much appreciated. Sign ups are on the table in the Narthex.

The Crew begins on Wednesday, September 20^th, for all 3^rd-6^th graders from 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm.

Sunday, September 17^th is Blessing of the Animals and Parking Lot worship. Bring a chair and your beloved pets.

We invite all teachers, school personnel, and day care workers to join us for worship on Sunday, September 24^th, as we bless and honor their work.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

 “Some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic, but I had a good life all the way.”  Jimmy Buffett from the song, “He Went to Paris.”

  As we got ready for the day on Saturday morning, Amy came into the living room with shocking news: Jimmy Buffett died.  One of our very favorite singers of all time, I had come to love his music through Amy after we met.  We went to incredible concerts over the years in places like the Twin Cities, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati, with a full set-up to tailgate all day.  We have visited Margaritaville’s all over the place and putting his music on when driving places was a weekly occurrence.  We even got to appreciate the members of his Coral Reefer band, especially Peter Mayer who has in years past led the band at the ELCA Youth Gathering.  It hit us hard.

  About an hour later I was heading up to play golf, listening to Margaritaville Radio, when the song, “He Went to Paris,” was played.  When it got to the lyric that I have at the top of this musings, I started to cry.  Look, I’m not a crier by nature, but I couldn’t help it.  It just hit me right in the soul.  As I reflected on the lyric, I thought about how Jimmy’s music is so positive, filled with gratitude for just the gift of life.  At his concerts, he always thanked the crowd not only for that day but for his entire career and I always believed him.  It wasn’t an act.  I think he was truly grateful for all his success and for all life had brought him.

  I have thought more and more that it is can be very hard to be positive in life.  I’ve been called a positive person, but I can find in myself an incredible cynicism and how easy it is to just see all the crap in life.  To make that the focus.  A great example is the fact that the Cubs have lost the past two games in the 9^th inning and I was declaring to friends that the season is over and we won’t make the playoffs and woe is me.  It is easy to look at the world and see all the tragedy.  Death.  Cancer.  Natural disasters.  Racism and discrimination run amok.  The tragedy stares us right in the face all the time. 

   But there is also magic.  So much magic.  The laugh of someone you love.  The smile of a child.  A beautiful sunset.  A good song.  Weddings.  Anniversaries.  Birthdays.  The snuggle of a dog.  A great tasting meal.  There is so much magic in the world and it is a gift.  A gift from our loving Savior.  And the greatest gift we get from Jesus is that we have the promise of eternal life and that because of that gift, we can see the magic of life.  The joy of life. 

   Jimmy Buffett’s music reminds me to look and see the magic of life and the joys of the simple things.  A good cheeseburger.  A cold margarita.  The beauty of creation.  The joy of sitting back and relaxing.  The magic of life itself. To see the gifts of God right in front of my nose.  He is truly going to be missed but will live on in the songs that he gave us.  I hope that when I get to the end of my life, whenever that may be, that I might look back upon it and give thanks to God for it.  And that I might say those words Jimmy gave us, “some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic, but I had a good life all the way.” 

  May God bless you today and always. 

August 27, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Confirmation Parent Meeting is Wednesday, August 30^th at 7pm. This is for all youth in 7^th & 8^th.  If you can not make this meeting, please contact Pastor Brad

Confirmation starts back up Wednesday, September 6^th at 5:30pm for 7^th graders. 8^th graders will start the following week.

Women of Trinity Fall Gathering, Thursday, September 7^th at 6 pm.  Bring a dish to pass. 

Sunday School starts back up Sunday, September 10^th at 9:45 am.

Youth Mission Trip Presentation will be Sunday, September 10^th at 9:45 am. Come see the amazing work our youth did in Colorado.

2024 ELCA Youth Gathering Informational Meeting: Sunday, September 10^th, 10:15 am.  The Youth Gathering is in New Orleans July 15-21, 2024.  All current high school students can attend.

It’s back to school time!! The WOT will be collecting items for our local schools and for kits to go to Lutheran World Relief. There are two different boxes set out for collection so make sure you put yours in the box you want your items to go to. The bags you take off the pews are the ones that go to Lutheran World Relief and each bag has a printed copy of all items needed to fill that bag. There are copies of items needed for our local schools on the display table by the kitchen. Thank you for helping us help others!

Sign up to bring snacks for Crew and/or Sunday School.  Any and all are very much appreciated. Sign ups are on the table in the Narthex.

The Crew begins on Wednesday, September 20^th, for all 3^rd-6^th graders from 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm.

We invite all teachers, school personnel, and day care workers to join us for worship on Sunday, September 24^th, as we bless and honor their work.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.” Isaiah 51:6

  When I first saw this verse as I examined the scriptures in preparation for this week’s sermon, I couldn’t help but think of the people of Lahaina, on Maui, and the devastation they have faced since wildfires wiped out that historic town.  It was, and has been, sad to see such destruction.  The loss of life.  The loss of everything people owned and incredible history.  Having had the privilege of visiting that community, it adds extra meaning and sadness to what has happened.  The despair the people must be feeling has to be overwhelming. 

  Thinking about that despair, I couldn’t help but think of the despair I have felt in my life, those times when it seems like everything was lost and that there was no hope.  Have you ever felt that way?  Felt completely without hope, lost, despairing?  I bet we all have in some way or another.  Faced with loss, filled with grief and pain, hurting in body, mind, and soul, it seems like our world has been devoured by a wildfire of suffering and hurt that seems never ending. 

  In those moments, the promise of these verses from Isaiah 51 comes forth like the dawn after a long night.  The salvation of the Lord is forever.  This salvation is for you, accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  No matter what happens in life, this salvation is always there for you.  It is our foundation to stand on.  No matter how much it feels like the earth, and our life, is slipping away from us, the promise of salvation in Jesus gives us something to stand on.  Sometime to build on.  Something to trust when everything else seems lost.

  In those times when I have been in despair, it is the promises of Jesus Christ, the hope of salvation and new life in him, that has seen me through.  Given me something solid to stand on.  And something to build anew on.  No matter what happens, we can trust that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is there for us, to save us, to strengthen us, to walk with us every day.

  I continue to pray for the people of Maui and for all who are suffering in any way.  I hope that you are praying for them too.  But I hope that we all never forget that the salvation of the Lord is forever and that, no matter what, can trust that Christ is there for us.  May God bless you today and always!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

No Wednesday Worship on August 23^rd.  The Men’s Band is in Cumberland at First Lutheran Church at 6 pm that night.

Confirmation Parent Meeting is Wednesday, August 30^th at 7pm. This is for all youth in 7^th & 8^th.  If you can not make this meeting, please contact Pastor Brad

Confirmation starts back up Wednesday, September 6^th at 5:30pm for 7^th graders. 8^th graders will start the following week.

Women of Trinity Fall Gathering, Thursday, September 7^th at 5 pm.  Bring a dish to pass. 

Sunday School starts back up Sunday, September 10^th at 9:45 am.

Youth Mission Trip Presentation will be Sunday, September 10^th at 9:45 am. Come see the amazing work our youth did in Colorado.

2024 ELCA Youth Gathering Informational Meeting: Sunday, September 10^th, 10:15 am.  The Youth Gathering is in New Orleans July 15-21, 2024.  All current high school students can attend.

It’s back to school time!! The WOT will be collecting items for our local schools and for kits to go to Lutheran World Relief. There are two different boxes set out for collection so make sure you put yours in the box you want your items to go to. The bags you take off the pews are the ones that go to Lutheran World Relief and each bag has a printed copy of all items needed to fill that bag. There are copies of items needed for our local schools on the display table by the kitchen. Thank you for helping us help others!

Sign up to bring snacks for Crew and/or Sunday School.  Any and all are very much appreciated. Sign ups are on the table in the Narthex.

The Crew begins on Wednesday, September 20^th, for all 3^rd-6^th graders from 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  On our last morning in Paris, France on July 1st, we went to breakfast and I decided to order bacon and eggs.  I know, a shocker.  I was very much looking forward to having this simple breakfast with two of my favorite things, eggs and bacon.  And in my head, they would come like the picture below.

I bet that is how you viewed it in your head when I said I ordered bacon and eggs for breakfast.  Now, maybe your eggs would be scrambled or fried or something else.  But this is what it normally looks like.  How do I know?  When I “googled” the phrase “bacon and eggs,” this is the image that popped up.

  But this is not how my bacon and eggs looked.  Rather, it looked like this:

I was blown away.  The bacon was literally inside the eggs.  It wasn’t two separate things, it was one.  I have wanted to try to recreate this at home but haven’t been able to yet.  It was bacon and eggs but it was different.  Still basically the same, but presented in a very different way.

  Sometimes we have an image in our head of how something is supposed to be and we can find out that it can be something totally different.  It still has it basics but might be presented in a completely different way.  Think of popular songs that are redone by other artists who put their own spin or musical style upon it.  Still the same song, just done differently. 

  Sometimes we think church should always be the same.  And though God is eternal, the church does need to change from time to time.  We want to keep our core, our foundation, which is of course proclaiming Jesus Christ and serving our neighbor.  But how we do that doesn’t always need to be the same. And at Trinity, we have tried to do that.

  Just last week I made everyone get up and sit in a different spot in the church.  The week before we had worship in the park.  This fall we are going to have services presented by youth, have a parking lot service with the blessing of animals, and much more.  We do this in order to keep worship fresh but also to help us expand our minds to what worship is and what church is.  Yes, we are bringing out bacon and eggs, but presenting it in an entirely different way.

  Sometimes we don’t like change or don’t like when something familiar is presented in a new way.  But if we reject it before we experience it, we lose out on the chance for the Holy Spirit to work and the fact that we might actually like it.  If I had rejected that bacon and eggs dish because it didn’t look like what I expected, I would have missed out on an incredible meal.  If I had told the group of people who asked me to lead a Bible study in a bar, I would have missed out on the incredible faith conversations we have been having at Lagers with the Lord. 

  My hope at Trinity is that we never get complacent.  That we are willing to try stuff, even if they fail.  My hope for you is that you might open up your heart and mind to the new ways God might be working in your lives.  Maybe an opportunity to serve and be in a different way or a chance to experience the Gospel in a way that is not the norm or might even be out of your comfort zone.  Most importantly, may you know every day that God is working in your life and that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you are free from sin and death and loved every day.  No matter how you serve your bacon and eggs!

  May God bless you today and always!

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Lunch & Pie Social Sunday, August 20^th, from 10 am till 4pm! Sponsored by the Women of Trinity.  Come for great food, homemade pie, and a chance to join together in fellowship with this Trinity tradition!

WORKERS NEEDED FOR THE LUNCH & PIE SOCIAL  We need helpers of all genders and ages to serve this Trinity Tradition.  9 am till 11 on Saturday, August 19^th.  Then on Sunday with shifts at 9 am, 10 am till Noon, Noon till 2pm, 2 pm till 4pm, and clean-up after 4 pm.  Can you give even an hour?  Every moment counts!  See the sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office to sign-up!

Worship at Pafko Park on Sunday, August 13^th, at 9 am.  Bring a chair to sit in.  Hot Dog lunch to follow worship. 

Float riders needed for the Pickle Fest float!  Each rider gets their own bag of candy.  Let PB know if you can help!  All ages welcome!

Monday Bible Study each Monday at 10 am.

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, August 14^th, 6 pm at Buckshots.  All are welcome!

School Bags:  We are collecting items for school bags and kits.  Pick up a bag in the church or grab school supplies and bring them to the church. 

Confirmation Parent Meeting, Wednesday, August 30^th, 7 pm.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

   It was July 18^th at 7:21 am when I realized I had made a huge mistake.  In the annals of the mistakes, I have made in my now 21 years of being a pastor, this mistake might easily be in the top 5 of all of my mistakes.  I literally started sweating and thought I was going to throw up, the pit in my stomach was so bad.  I immediately was in panic mode and started to frantically search and even called Amy to help me.  What was my mistake?  I hadn’t reserved transportation for our 33 people going to Denver on our Mission Trip that upcoming Saturday.  Our largest trip ever and we had no way to get there.  No vans.  No nothing.  What I thought was a reservation was last year’s reservation, which were for the same dates, but I didn’t double check the year. 

  I felt devasted.  I felt awful.  I knew, even before I tried, that there would be no 15 passenger vans available for rent.  Maybe in the winter.  But the summer?  No way.  I started to make reservations for minivans and other vehicles.  I called all the chaperones to tell them what was going on and to see if they could all drive a vehicle if needed.  In the midst of all this, I still had to do my job, leading worship at Glenhaven and even had to get my oil changed.  I finally got our transportation fully figured out and set on Friday morning and even then, I wasn’t sure we would have enough room for our bags and had a back-up just in case.  It was a frantic lead0up to our trip, even more so than usual.  I was spent and we hadn’t even left yet.  But what made it worse was this: I couldn’t let my mistake go.

  Even now, as I write this, I’m not sure I have let it fully go.  I’m a person who holds myself to a high standard and often that standards and expectation of myself can be a negative.  I get upset when I hit bad golf shots or feel I gave a bad sermon.  I beat myself up if I haven’t been a good friend or husband.  I think way more about the things that I do wrong than anything I do right.  This is incredibly unhealthy.  I know it too and yet I can’t stop it.

  And in this situation, it consumed me.  I had a hard time sleeping those days before the trip.  Even when we got there, I would find myself awake, brooding over my stupidity and idiocy.  I couldn’t even pass it off on Katie not being there for the first time in awhile as I always took care of the vans.  Always.  My job.  My responsibility.  And I fumbled it.  I dropped it.  I put all the work of the kids, all the work of the parents, all the support from the congregation to send us to Denver in jeopardy.  My awesome chaperones told me it was ok, that we got it all worked out, that they would step up and do whatever needed to be done.  Amy told me it was ok, we all make mistakes, and I got it all figured out it in the end.

  But I wouldn’t listen to their comfort and reassurances.  And so, my guilt almost consumed me.  I know it made me unhealthy and made this trip the hardest one I had ever been on.  All because I couldn’t forgive myself.  All because of my own pride, ego, and perfectionist standards.  All because of my sin.

   Forgiveness is a gift we receive in Jesus Christ, and it is an incredible gift we give each other.  I like to think I’m a pretty forgiving person for the most part.  But not to myself.  And that needs to change.  So often I sit with people who can’t forgive themselves the mistakes they make.  It isolates them, keeps them away from the Lord, from their relationships, from engaging in the wider world.  They know their sin and they worry that is all that people will see of them. And when I sit them, I remind them of the grace of God in Jesus Christ.  I remind them that they are loved, not only by Jesus, but by others, no matter the mistake.  That in the church they always have a place and that true healing comes first and foremost from accepting the grace and forgiveness that comes in Jesus Christ.  After all, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer for God to forgive us our trespasses.  We need to have faith in that promise and prayer.

  I need to have faith in that promise and prayer.  And I’m so thankful for people like Amy and others who reminded me that we all make mistakes and there is forgiveness for all of us.  I need to be reminded that it is ok to not be perfect.  To screw up from time to time.  That when I screw up and I work to fix it, that is enough and that the same forgiveness I preach about is also for me.  I’m reminded about something that Yoda says to Luke Skywalker in “The Last Jedi” when he says, “The greatest teacher, failure is.” 

  You can bet I will never make that mistake again (and I put in my calendar 20 times to be sure).  But the biggest lesson that I have learned from this is that I need to forgive myself.  It does me and no one else good to wallow in despair and guilt.  To trust in the forgiveness offered to me in Jesus Christ.  Because, after all, it all worked out.  We had a great trip and we served the Lord.  My prayer for you today is that if you are carrying around guilt that weighs on your soul, give it to the Lord.  Forgive yourself for your Savior Jesus Christ died and rose for your sins and to set you free from all bondage.  May God bless you today and always!

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Lunch & Pie Social Sunday, August 20^th, from 10 am till 4pm! Sponsored by the Women of Trinity.  Come for great food, homemade pie, and a chance to join together in fellowship with this Trinity tradition!

WORKERS NEEDED FOR THE LUNCH & PIE SOCIAL  We need helpers of all genders and ages to serve this Trinity Tradition.  9 am till 11 on Saturday, August 19^th.  Then on Sunday with shifts at 9 am, 10 am till Noon, Noon till 2pm, 2 pm till 4pm, and clean-up after 4 pm.  Can you give even an hour?  Every moment counts!  See the sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office at 715-643-3821 to sign-up!

Worship at Pafko Park on Sunday, August 13^th, at 9 am.  Bring a chair to sit in.  Hot Dog lunch to follow worship. 

Monday Bible Study each Monday at 10 am.

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, August 14^th, 6 pm at Buckshots.  All are welcome!

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Whenever we come back from a Mission Trip, people ask us what we did during our time in Denver.  And we did all sorts of things.  We cleaned out yards and filled dumpsters for homeowners.  We painted houses and organized in a thrift store.  We put together food boxes at the Salvation Army and cut up handouts and shredded paper.  We even counted towels and washcloths!  In other words, we did a huge range of stuff.  We did what was asked and what was needed by the organizations we were working for, for service isn’t what we want to do, service is about filling a need that others want us to do.  Our kids were awesome no matter what they were asked to do and you should be incredibly proud of them. 

   I have no doubt I’ll write more about the trip in later weeks, but as I sit here on a Friday morning, I was reminded again about some of the small stuff that we did.  That shredding of paper, or helping our Youthworks staff get stuff packed up as this was their last week in Denver.  It might not have been what many of our kids thought about when they signed up for the Mission Trip, but it was the mission that needed to be done.  And I’m also sitting here thinking about how the Mission Trip is not a summer trip we take with our youth, our Mission Trip is every single day, right here in our own community and area and right here in our own church.  For we are disciples of Jesus Christ, called to be servants. Yet we often don’t think of our own place as a mission site.

  But it is.  Our community, our church, is its own mission field.  We are called to serve in whatever way we can in the needs that arise.  It can be volunteering at many of our own organizations, like WestCAP or Stepping Stones or United Way.  It can helping out at the schools or coaching youth sports or supporting the efforts of our area through donations.  This is all mission work and it is needed and important. 

  It can also be with sign-up for something that church.  To give that hour or two to make sure the people of our community enjoy a great piece of pie and a good meal during our Lunch & Pie Social.  To help out a few Sundays with Sunday school or sign-up to provide snacks for Crew or even come to lend a helping hand.  It can be to make communion bread or donate flowers or coming over to pull some weeds from around the church.  Our mission field is right here in front of us.  You don’t have to drive 2,000 miles to get there.  It is right here. 

  My prayer is that you might take a page from our youth and be willing to give a bit of yourself for the mission that lies before you.  To call the church office or right your name down to help at the Lunch & Pie Social.  To donate funds to help a cause or support an organization.  To not look at the busyness of your schedule and how you couldn’t possibly do something but rather see it as an opportunity to experience something new, to give something back, to connect with others in a different way.  To serve your Lord and Savior, a Lord and Savior who loves you and has saved you and to connect with your faith in a new way.

  For that is the secret sauce of a Mission Trip, my friends.  It isn’t in the doing.  It is in the CONNECTING.  That is why our youth go and come back.  It isn’t what they did, it is who they meet.  It is the deeper relationships they form with each other and the deeper connection they make with the God who loves and has saved them.  It is about realizing that even the smallest thing makes the biggest difference to someone else and to the world at large. 

   Thank you for supporting our youth.  And I thank you in advance for the way you will answer God’s call to serve, to connect, to being the hands and feet of God in the world.  May the Lord bless you today and always!

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Monday Bible Study returns July 17^th at 10 am.

Worship at Pafko Park on Sunday, August 13^th, at 9 am.  Bring a chair to sit in.  Hot Dog lunch to follow worship. 

Fellowship servers needed!  Call the church office at 715-643-3821 or see the sign-up on the kitchen counter.

Cake Walk providers needed!  Call the church office at 715-643-3821 or see the sign-up on the Cake Table.

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, July 17^th, 6 pm at Buckshots.  All are welcome!

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  I want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped out when Amy and I were on vacation in France, to Craig Formoe for leading worship (twice!) to Ron & Lee Peshaw for taking care of our house and yard to all of you who sent well wishes to Amy and I for our birthdays and anniversary.  We had an amazing time in France and one of the things we did a lot of was go into churches. 

  I know, I know, big surprise.  Some of the churches are famous, like Sacre Coeur or Saint Chappelle or the Bayeux Cathedral, while others are not.  Some we just walked into as we saw them walking around Paris.  Others were in small towns in places we visited.  Being a church nerd, I loved being in the churches, seeing their beauty and reading about their history.  We even passed by a Lutheran church (but couldn’t go inside!).

  Yet, there was one we saw a whole bunch but often passed by.  It was just a few seconds from the apartment we were staying when we were in Paris.  It looked pretty old and had scaffolding around the entrance and even though Amy would ask if I wanted to go in, I would say no as we were often on the way to someplace else.  We just kept overlooking it.  Ignoring it.  Walking by it.

  And then, on our last full day in Paris, we went in.  And it was a revelation.  We found out that the church, called Saint-Germain-des-Pres, was one of the oldest in Paris, founded first an abbey in the 6^th century and has one of the oldest bell towers that is still standing from 990.  It was an incredible church and might have been our favorite of all the churches we visited, with incredible frescos and an amazing history.  And we had almost missed it. 

  We take things for granted and we can often dismiss things.  Even worse, we take people for granted and we often dismiss people.  Maybe because of the way they look or how we perceive their actions or a hundred other reasons.  But if we take a chance, we might find something extraordinary.  We might surprise ourselves, not only in opening up to others but also opening ourselves up to new experiences.  To try something new.  Maybe it is a menu item at a restaurant.  Maybe it is taking a trip.  Maybe it is volunteering in the community or even using your gifts and talents in the church. 

 Even more importantly, take a moment to give thanks for the people and things in life that you take for granted.  Remember all the blessings you have been given by your Savior Jesus Christ, most especially the forgiveness, life, and salvation offered to you by Christ’s death and resurrection.  For we are truly blessed and because of the love of God in Jesus Christ, we take a risk, try something new, and maybe walk into that church that is right by you.  You never know what you might find! 

  May God bless you today and always!

PICTURES OF THE WEEK.

A few pictures of the church of Saint-Germain-des-Pres

June 18, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

No Wednesday worship June 21 or 28^th

No Monday morning Bible Study in June

Fellowship servers needed!  Call the church office at 715-643-3821 or see the sign-up on the kitchen counter.

Cake Walk providers needed!  Call the church office at 715-643-3821 or see the sign-up on the Cake Table.

Pastor Brad will be on vacation from June 19^th till July 1^st.

WOT  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 Onesies, we cut them off to make t-shirts.

Thank you for helping us help others!

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, July 17^th, 6 pm at Buckshots.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  On Wednesday, at 4:30 pm, I will turn 47 years old.  No, this is not a ploy for birthday gifts (though gifts are always appreciated!).  But this is an extremely significant birthday in my life.  Seems weird, doesn’t it?  When most people turn 47 years old, is just another birthday, nothing special about it at all.  Not like turning 21, or 40, or 50, or 75, etc.  A normal number.  A normal birthday.  But not to me.

  For when it hits 4:31 pm on the clock on June 21^st, I will have lived longer than my Dad.  I will have lived longer than my Dad’s Dad (slightly worried as I write this that I’m jinxing myself here).  And to me, that is significant.  Knowing the history of my family, as a younger person I figured it was a long shot to make it to 47 years old.  I figured 46 years was all I was going to get.  It feels like everything else, starting at 47 years, is a bonus.  An extra.  And it feels weird and strange that I will have lived longer than my Dad, especially in this year in we hit 30 years since he had died.  But in the midst of this strangeness, there is something else in my head and my heart.  It is a sense of gratitude.

   My Dad’s death when I was a mere 16 years old taught me two very important things.  The first was the need for God, for God is the only thing that can never be taken away from you.  It was the spark that started my journey towards becoming a pastor, though that spark was there previously, I was just unaware of it.  The second was this: that life was a gift and this gift was short.  What would I do with that life and the short amount of days I had with it?  I’m not sure I have made the kind of impact my Dad made on so many people, but legacy or that kind of stuff was never really the goal.  The goal was to appreciate life and all that comes with it.  I know there have been times when I have not done that.  To appreciate the gift I have been given.

  But lately, I have been thinking about this gift.  Life is a gift.  We can fill that gift up with anything we want.  So why do we fill it up with hate?  Why do we fill it up by denigrating and attacking people different than us?  Why do we, and I, let the frustrations and annoyances of the world become our focus?  It is squandering the gift we have been given, this gift of life given to us by a loving and merciful God. 

  Recently when I did a Q&A at Luther Park Bible Camp Staff Training, a counselor asked me the question, “What is truth?” which is a question that comes straight out of the Bible.  This is how I answered: the truth is that life is a gift.  And what we do with that gift, every single day, is extremely important.  Will we use that gift with a sense of love, faith, hope, and compassion?  Or will we use it in the opposite ways? 

  My hope and prayer as I now live longer on this earth than my Dad did, that I might live life as a gift.  To always appreciate it.  To use it for good and not evil.  To remember to appreciate and hold on tightly to the joys of life and the chance to use this gift for God’s glory and not my own.  For this life is not mine, it was given to me, and it is precious.

  Why?  Because I believe that my Dad lived his life like it was a gift and I would everything I have in this world to have more days with my Dad.  To hear is laugh.  To watch him get mad at the Cubs.  To play golf with him or enjoy time just sitting on the basement couch watching TV.  I will never get that chance, though, until it is my time to join him in God’s glory in heaven.  But I can do one thing.  One simple thing.  To remember the gift of life and cherish it. 

  My hope and prayer for you is that you might remember that too.  Not just on your birthday.  But every single day.  Life is a gift.  A gift for you from your God.  Now, what are you going to do with it?

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Vacation Bible School, June 5-8, 9 am to Noon.  VBS is open to all youth 4-years old and up.  Games, Crafts, Songs, Snack, and more!  $10 per child.  Registration form on the table in the Narthex.

Women of Trinity Summer Gathering, June 8^th, 6 pm.  All women are invited to attend!  A meal is being served by the board.

No Monday morning Bible Study in June

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, June 12^th, 6 pm at Buckshots.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  I was playing golf the other day (I know, shocker) and I hit a ball into a sand trap (I know, shocker).  I stood over the ball, got my feet nice and set, made a practice swing, and then took my hack at the ball.  I totally clipped it and it flew over the green.  I was less than happy. 

  The next hole I found myself in a bunker again (I know, shocker).  I stood over the ball, thought about how I needed to swing to stop what happened the last time, took my practice swing, and then went for the shot.  I totally clipped the ball again and it flew over the green.  Again. Now I was really less than happy.  And I stewed about it, how I could make that mistake again, how awful my golf game was.  It made me hit a terrible second chip and a terrible putt and I walked to the next tee box just fuming. 

  So of course, I hit a terrible drive and then found myself in a bunker.  Again.  And I’m thinking to myself, “This is not going to go well.”  But as I looked at my ball in that sand again, I realized that I wasn’t going to get anywhere if I didn’t forget about the previous terrible shots.  So I didn’t think at all.  No practice swing.  No thoughts.  I swung the club toward the ball, and by golly, it was an actual decent shot.  I couldn’t believe it!  All I had to do was forget the previous bad ones!

  Of course, that is much harder to do than to say.  It is hard to forget about our mistakes, especially the ones that really matter, unlike the ones on the golf course.  We stew over them, remember them, beat ourselves up about them.  We hold onto them, in our heart and in our head.  Thankfully, that is not the case for our merciful God.  As it says in Jeremiah 31, “for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.”  Though we remember our mistakes, our God does not.  God forgets our mistakes, our sin, our trespasses.  In forgiveness, God in Jesus Christ establishes a new relationship, a new beginning, a new start.

  It is something we can learn from for ourselves.  To not dwell on our past mistakes.  We want to learn from them, but if we can’t forget them, if we can’t forgive ourselves as the Lord has forgiven us, then we are trapped in a cycle of guilt and pain, a cycle that threatens to continually hurt us.  When we receive that forgiveness from the Lord, it means a new start for us, a start we need to take and embrace.  For if the Lord is will to forget your sins, you need to forget your sins.  You are loved not because you are perfect but because you are the Lord.  And in the Lord you always have the opportunity to forge a new path, a new start, a new way. 

  Trust in the mercy and forgiveness of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  And just as the Lord forgives you, forgive yourself.  Forget that terrible shot from the bunker.  And keep swinging and keep trying.  May the Lord be with you. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

May 25, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Office closed on Memorial Day

Vacation Bible School, June 5-8, 9 am to Noon.  VBS is open to all youth 4-years old and up.  Games, Crafts, Songs, Snack, and more!  $10 per child.  Registration form on the table in the Narthex.

Help Needed for VBS!  We need snack providers, helpers in the kitchen, and helpers with other VBS activities like leading a short Bible story and crafts.  See the sign-up in the Narthex or talk to PB.

Women of Trinity Summer Gathering, June 8^th, 6 pm.  All women are invited to attend!  A meal is being served by the board.

No Monday morning Bible Study in June

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, June 12^th, 6 pm at Buckshots.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

Happy Thursday everyone!  I hope that you are going to have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  Special congratulations to our high school seniors who will be graduating on Friday.

  Below I have a couple of questions that I have been thinking about or have been asked of me over the past few weeks.  Thought I might share with all of you. 

Why does my umpiring clicker have a zero for inning?

  I have been thinking about this since I pulled my clicker out for my first game of the season as an umpire.  There is no inning zero.  We start at the first inning.  So what is the purpose?  Why do we have a zero?  I asked a fellow ump and they suspected that it was in case we went into extra innings (the clicker goes up to 9.).  But if that was the case, wouldn’t the number be 10 instead of 0?  Every clicker I have had has the zero.  It is a mystery.  An utter mystery. 

Why do we say “catholic” in the Apostle’s Creed?

  Someone asked me this the other day and maybe it is something you have wondered.  The word “catholic” does not mean the Roman Catholic Church. The word actually means “universal.”  We associate that word with the Christian denomination Roman Catholic Church, but in actually that denomination took its name from the word meaning universal.  Here is a cheat: if “catholic” is capitalized, it means the denomination.  If it isn’t (like in the Apostle’s Creed), it means the universal church.

  One of my favorite things is that I have a hymnal from my home church and someone scratched out “catholic” and wrote “Christian” in its place.

Why are there not the same number of hot dogs as the number of buns in a package of hot dog buns?

You go out to buy some hot dogs to get your hot dog feed on.  You get everything you need for a good dog: mustard, onions, relish, some sport peppers, a tomato, pickle, and some celery salt (notice no ketchup.  Ketchup does not belong on a hot dog).  Of course, you get some good beef dogs and then you got to get some buns.  Yet, the quantities are not the same.  Why is that? If a package of hot dogs has 10, why are there only 8 buns?  Or vice versa?  It drives me crazy.

  Look, I know the answer.  It means you buy more of something. But can’t the bakers of the buns and the hot dog makers (and the brat ones too) get together to have it all be the same?  Would that be so hard?  These are the things that keep me up at night (along with why do people desecrate the joy of a hot dog with ketchup).  I might have a problem. 

What is this thing called Pentecost?

  Pentecost Sunday is this Sunday and it is the day in which we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit to people gathered in Jerusalem 50 days after Easter.  Pentecost was already a Jewish holiday that was celebrated 50 days after Passover and originally celebrated the wheat harvest.  It is why there are so many people in Jerusalem at that time.  Pentecost is also the birthday of the church.  Red is the color of the day as red is the color of the Holy Spirit, which was visually manifested as tongues of fire above peoples head on Pentecost.  You can read the whole story in Acts chapter 2 OR come to church at 9 am on Sunday!

If you have a question, I’d love to answer it in a future Musings.  Just send me an email!  I hope that you have a great Memorial Day weekend. May God bless you today and always!

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Me with the newly minted Pastor Katie Wagner after her ordination this past Sunday.  Pastor Katie will be serving Trinity Lutheran Church in Lake Nebagemon, WI.