Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Nov 24, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…

Your TLC Staff wishes you all a festive, reflective, memorable Thanksgiving 2022. We are thankful for you and for the many ways that you generously support your Church, the Church where everybody’s welcome.

The first permanent European settlement in the new world was at Jamestown. The English settlers, all men, arrived and established the colony in 1607. Some 13 years later the Pilgrims arrived in Cape Cod. On December 18, 1620 they would dock at Plymouth Rock.

What was the most striking similarity between the settlers in Jamestown and the Pilgrims in Plymouth? Human suffering and hope. In Jamestown more than half of the settlers died of famine or disease. In fact, after eight months in the New World there were only 38 of the original 104 still alive. In 1608 a ship would arrive in Jamestown with 90 single women. This was an effort to ensure the permanent settlement of the colony.

Up the coast in Plymouth, only 44 of the 102 Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 would survive to that fall of 1621. Only five women were left when the Pilgrims paused for a three-day holiday to give thanks. Imagine if 60% of us died in the next year, would we, could we, pause to give thanks?

The historian H.U. Westermayer writes:
“The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than those, who nonetheless set aside a day of Thanksgiving.”

Thanksgiving is a verb, like jogging, like walking or swimming. It is something that we do; we give thanks. We pause and look around, and with eyes wide open we realize just how blessed we are. To give thanks is to acknowledge our dependence upon God and each other. We give thanks for gifts that have come to us by the grace of God and the labor of others.

A life marked by thankfulness is a beautiful thing. People who are thankful are just the type of people that we want to spend time with. The best things in life are free, and we are surrounded each day by abundant blessings.

Irving Berlin, the Jewish Immigrant who grew up in poverty in New York City, had it right, “Got no check books, got no banks. Still, I’d like to express my thanks, I’ve got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.”
So, what are you thankful for in 2022? I am thankful for you.

Blessed to be a Blessing!
Pastor Jim

Reflection on a Rich Man’s Art Collection

Reflection on a Rich Man’s Art Collection

Nov 19, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog, Uncategorized

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…

A week ago, at Christie’s Auction House in New York City, a portion of the art collection of Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, was sold for 1.6 billion dollars. Paul Allen, who also owned the Seahawks, died of cancer four years ago at the age of 65.

There are many things that money can buy: luxuries, experiences, private planes, access to the world’s power brokers, homes, cars, the finest medical care, and art collections. There are many things that money cannot buy: happiness, health, protection from aging or disease, time, love, or integrity.

Death is the great equalizer. Paul Allen, the local barber, and the fallen soldier in Eastern Europe all look the same when they are dead. Ashes to ashes. Rich or poor, no one escapes the reality of our shared humanity. Naked we arrive and naked we depart. And there are no U-Hauls behind hearses. We take nothing with us when we go.

If we are rich, our art collections go to Christie’s, but for most of us, our possessions will end up at Senior Thrift, the Habitat for Humanity store, or the dumpster beside the for-sale sign at our home. Our children will have little interest in our collections, furniture, China or silverware.

We own nothing. We are simply stewards for a short period of time. Taking care of the garden, changing the oil in the car, rearranging the deck chairs, trying to keep our frail flesh functioning.

Paul Allen was wealthy beyond our wildest dreams, and he took nothing with him as he made that final journey home to meet his maker. His art collection was auctioned off and the proceeds will go to charity. In 2010 Paul Allen had taken The Giving Pledge. He promised to give at least half of his vast fortune to charity. That benevolent giving will have a much longer lifespan than Paul Allen did. Blessed to be a Blessing!

This week Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced that he would give the vast majority of his 124 billion dollars to charity during his lifetime. Blessed to be a Blessing.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Life is not without its challenges, but we have much to be thankful for. We are not billionaires like Allen and Bezos, but most of us are among the richest 5% of all the world’s humans.

For perspective, a net worth of $110,000 would put one in the top 10% in the world. That net worth would include your home, cars, retirement accounts, your Starbucks coffee mug collection, and that box of eight track tapes in the basement.

Blessed to be a Blessing!

May God bless you this Thanksgiving!

Pastor Jim

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Country Western Sunday

Country Western Sunday

Nov 12, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog, Uncategorized

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…

Join us tomorrow for a worship service featuring Country Western music. “I’ll Fly Away,” “I Saw the Light,” “Keep on the Sunny Side,” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” are just a few of the upbeat offerings this Sunday.

One of the great things about TLC is the marvelous diversity of our congregation. We are blessed with people of all ages, coming to us from all walks of life. At TLC the conservative and the liberal come to worship and serve side by side. We find our unity in Jesus. We don’t all understand or experience Jesus in the same way, but we come believing that we are better as individuals and as a community when we put ourselves in the path of the Gospel.

We are blessed with amazing musicians who share their talents with us. They too come from a variety of musical backgrounds. Sheila often graces us with concert quality classical preludes. She tickles the ivories with the best of them. Ron, Brian, Jim, Deb and Sally join Karl as the sound of Breaded Fish gives a soft rock beat to our worship. The Bell Choir and our Trinity Choir inspire us most every week. Arne shares a story and sings a ballad of grace, peace and love.

Some Sundays it’s Bach and Beethoven, at other times the service features the music of James Taylor, Burt Bacharach, Fernando Ortega or David Roth. No one style works for all, but all musical varieties have the capacity to touch hearts, make memories, and inspire the people of God.

This Sunday will be the first Country Western Sunday since 2019. I invite you to put on your favorite cowboy hat and boots, slip into your jeans, and don’t forget your good attitude. It will be a memorable service highlighted by the gathering of the family for the celebration of Holy Communion.

I have been preparing myself by watching the PBS documentary, “Country Music,” by Ken Burns.

The storm has passed, the power is on, the family will gather.

I will see you tomorrow.

Much love,
Pastor Jim

[[email protected]]

The Illusion of Independence

The Illusion of Independence

Nov 11, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog, Uncategorized

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…

Young adults distance themselves from their parents as they seek their independence.

Marriages sometimes fail when one party desires the freedom of independence.

Senior citizens look to downsize, but they want to remain independent. Independent living is desirable, freeing, full of options. Assisting Living may become a necessity, but the goal for most Senior Citizens is a less complicated form of independent living.

Most of us would much rather offer to help someone else than to ask for help ourselves. Perhaps it is simply an expression of our pride, but I think that there is something more profound at work there.

Our offer of help is a benevolent, loving expression. Offering to help comes from a position of perceived power. I have something you need, and out of my generosity, I can offer you a hand. At some level it reminds us and others, that we are so independent and able to provide for ourselves, that we have the luxury of reaching out to those who can’t quite make that claim.

“Independent living.” It is an interesting concept.

Independent living is nothing more than an illusion. It is a lie, a destructive construct that does not exist. There is no such thing as independent living.

None of us would be alive if we were left alone, relying solely on our own labor, ingenuity, insight and productivity. All my life I have driven on roads that I did not construct, eaten from trees that I did not plant, used electricity that is mostly mysterious to me. Independent living is an illusion. Without the care of midwives and the nourishment of our mother’s breast we would not have survived those first days of our earthly journey.

This past week we were once again reminded of the illusion of independent living. Puget Sound Energy Power crews came to our rescue in the days after the mighty wind blew. Where they all came from, I do not know. They managed to work around the clock, providing illumination for our homes, and bringing warmth to cold places. We could not do what they did for us.

Meanwhile, truck drivers drove dangerous roadways to deliver gasoline to fuel our cars and generators. The workers at Payless stocked the shelves with food sources harvested by hands we will never shake and faces unknown to us.

Independent living is an illusion, a dangerous illusion.

The truth is, we need each other. We need the gifts, skills, and contributions of every member of our shared community. The Bible speaks of the community as a body. A body is made up of many parts; legs, eyes, ears, fingers, toes, and assorted organs. None of the body parts function on their own, they are all a part of the whole.

Independent living is an illusion. If any of our sisters or brothers are hurting, we are all hurting. If one suffers, in a real way we all suffer. We are dependent upon God, and we are dependent upon each other. We need the ferry workers, the roofers, first responders, medical professionals, and restaurant workers. The PSE Power Crews reminded us this week just how dependent we are.

Let’s not take any of our community members for granted. Express your thankfulness to them at every opportunity.

Blessed to be a Blessing! We are Blessed every day by the love, labor, and service of others.

Pastor Jim

Honoring Those Who Served the Cause of Freedom

Honoring Those Who Served the Cause of Freedom

Nov 10, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog, Uncategorized

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim… 

On a sunshine-drenched fall day one year ago, Felicia and I walked silently through the American Cemetery above the beaches of Normandy.

The rows of white crosses stretched toward the heavens above, supported by the meticulously manicured green grass below. Each cross told the mostly forgotten stories of lost fathers and sons. The carnage of June 1944 led to the liberation of France and the defeat of the Axis powers in Europe.

Thousands of miles away, in the Pacific theater, a young enlisted sailor by the name of Harold Lindus was serving on Guam in anticipation of an invasion of the Japanese mainland. On Guadalcanal, my Uncle Johnny dodged bullets and death only to return home in 1946 never to talk about the horrors that he had witnessed.

On this Veterans Day let us honor all who served the causes of freedom. Let us honor veterans and their families. The sacrifice was real. The sacrifice today is real.

Maybe one day we will live in a world where armies are not necessary for the security of civilian populations. Maybe someday, but until then let us live with genuine thankfulness for those who put on soldier’s boots that we might stay at home and live in freedom.

Happy Veterans Day!

Pastor Jim

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An Attitude of Gratitude

An Attitude of Gratitude

Nov 9, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog

Today’s Word from Laura Canby…
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Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. – Psalm 100:4
 
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton
 
As we enter into the season of Thanksgiving, I invite you to be a part of a video that will be played at Trinity’s Thanksgiving Eve Service, which will be in addition to a panel discussion led by Pastor Jim about Tiny Houses in the Name of Christ (THINC).
 
I will be available in the Sun Walkway at coffee hours to videotape expressions of gratitude for things both large and small.
Let’s take it for granted that you are thankful for family such as spouse, children and parents… as most people are. Rather, let’s hear about the simple joys, the daily blessings, the large concepts, and what moves you into an attitude of gratitude, joyful thankfulness, and a position of praise. Let’s create and share a beautiful mosaic of grateful thoughts.
 
“It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” — Anonymous
 
We were without power for three days in Clinton, with power poles down at both ends of our road. We were fortunate in that we have a fireplace and a generator. Still, the cold and dark were a nuisance… until I received an email from a friend who forwarded an email from his friend in Ukraine.
 
The writer is a Pastor of a church in Irpin, Ukraine. He wrote of power outages of 4 to 5 hours as a daily occurrence. This pastor and his family live in a war-torn country, and risked their lived driving refugees out of areas being bombed. He faces an uncertain future, and certainly a cold winter, yet he always signs his emails with: God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. (Thought you’d like that, Pastor Tom.)
 
Suddenly the nuisance of our power outage got very small, indeed.
 
Gratitude doesn’t always need to come in response to contrasting our situation with people less fortunate. Sometimes it is just the sheer beauty of nature or unexpected happenings. Today, for instance, as I drove down my driveway, a huge, regal multi-pronged stag walked in front of my car and then ambled up a trail, stopping momentarily, to acknowledge me with a toss of his antlers.
 
And who can resist being grateful for the lovely autumn colors as the last leaves go out blazing before winter sets in. Did you know we still have roses blooming in the courtyard? I took this picture below of a courtyard rose several years ago as we had a hard frost. Yes, even in the oncoming winter (my least-favorite season) there is still beauty to be grateful for if I take the time to look.
 
Medical research is proving the benefit of a thankful heart. Psychologist Robert Emmons, Ph.D., an expert on research into gratitude, writes:
“A decade’s worth of research on gratitude has shown me that when life is going well, gratitude allows us to celebrate and magnify the goodness. But what about when life goes badly? In the midst of the economic maelstrom that has gripped our country, I have often been asked if people can—or even should—feel grateful under such dire circumstances.
 
My response is that not only will a grateful attitude help—it is essential. In fact, it is precisely under crisis conditions when we have the most to gain by a grateful perspective on life. In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope. In other words, gratitude can help us cope with hard times…”
 
So, think of those things for which you are grateful, folks, and let’s create a video that can uplift others and spread some joy.
 
Blessings,
 
Laura