May 3, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Linda Nevermann…
Growing up, I was told “little things don’t matter.” I’m nearly 72 years old and I’m telling you that they do.
After the tragic pandemic and slowly realizing that there is a new future of normalcy, I’ve appreciated more than ever, that little things matter.
We are replacing our deck. Anyone that has ever had to do that knows the agony of sore muscles, inertia to get it done, and annoying hurdles; crawling over countless joists, bumps and bruises, and forgetting the screwdriver at the opposite end of the joists.
While my son James and I worked on our deck a couple weeks ago in the cool weather, surprisingly, we (mostly me) had mosquitoes buzzing around and filling their little bellies till they bulged. At one time, I would have gotten the fly swatter and gone on a rampage, but this time I brushed them off, realizing I was still on the right side of the ground to see one of God’s tiny creatures, annoying as they might be.
I love Spring! Everything bursts into new life and energy. The shot weed is overly enthusiastic, hummingbirds are ravenous, slugs slowly move to their next shade of green edibles, trees are budding and blooming, and flowers are preparing to burst into a pallet of colors to enjoy into the Fall.
As humans try to reorient into a new routine, there are many little things that matter. One of the first things at church were the Greeters at the entrance. Smiles were offered and friendly words exchanged. During the services, fist pumps, high 5’s, and awkward hugs were offered. Little things matter.
A couple of months ago, I was talking with a dear friend and she shared how “useless” she felt and that she had nothing to offer. I was stunned! I quickly let her know the impact she has on me and anyone else she comes near. She has a particularly sweet disposition and smile that immediately warms my heart.
We have the God-given gift and power to heal each other in the smallest and most effortless ways. Eye contact with someone acknowledges their existence, a touch on the shoulder or back sends a warm loving gesture, and that hug may be the only affection that person has received all week. The housebound are uplifted with a note or phone call and patients in institutions wait for their doctors or nurses, for news, or to see a friendly face. That pot of soup offered to the sick is a gesture of love and understanding of the need for sustenance during illnesses. Little things matter.
The cat’s tail that drags on your leg is telling you they care (or most likely want something), the puppy kisses are genuine and only seek a hug and a lap to rest on, the birds that sing brightly at 5 AM each morning, whether the sun is going to shine or be an overcast day; all God’s way of reaching out to us.
The cuddles from a small child are swoon-worthy, the laughter or smile from others are uplifting, and sloppy baby kisses mend a heartache instantly.
All of us seek acknowledgement, and unknowingly or not, little things matter. It is in our DNA to care for ourselves and others. It is not unique to Christians, but inclusive through all faiths and humanity. All of us have the divine authority empowered to each of us to care for others.
Last Sunday, Trinity Bells played Amazing Grace with guest musicians and vocalists and Congregation. It is an age-old familiar song that allows us to reassess and renew our faith and move forward with deliberateness. This Easter season has opened the post-pandemic doors to all experiences and we should share as much as we can. All of us are in recovery and renewal.
While I love many of the older hymns, this is one of my favorite newer hymns. Let’s take it to our hearts and pass it on.
“A New Commandment”
A new commandment I give unto you,
that you love one another as I have loved you,
that you love one another as I have loved you.
By this shall all know that you are my disciples,
if you have love one for another;
by this shall all know that you are my disciples:
if you have love one for another.
Text. John 13: 34-35 Music: Anonymous
In Peace and love to you!
Linda
Apr 30, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim
Every year in the month of May our sanctuary is adorned by the artwork of children as dozens of delightful little visitors join us for worship. 
They are decorated with care and as much intention as a preschooler can muster. Old scraps of material, crayons and markers give a unique flare to each child’s mini-me. With pride, the children of the Trinity Preschool share this gift with us, before offering it permanently to their parents or grandparents. The mini-mes that grace our worship walls remind us of seasons that have passed us by, of little ones clinging to our pant legs, the insatiable curiosity of children, the innocent laughter, and the occasional tearful meltdown.
Next to Sunday morning worship, the Trinity Preschool is our largest ministry. Our dedicated staff loves, cares for, and nourishes each student. Moms and dads are encouraged and counseled as they navigate the sacred calling of parenting. The Preschool primarily serves the larger community. Former students now bring their tiny tots to the school that helped shape them.
At the other end of the educational spectrum, we have the work of the Trinity Scholarship Committee. Thanks to our generous donors, and the good work of the Endowment Committee, the TLC Scholarship Committee will award $190,000 in scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year. This fall 33 students will attend college on a TLC scholarship. Of that 33, 18 scholarships will be awarded to TLC students and 15 to students unrelated to our church.
We are proud of our Preschool students. We are honored to partner with their parents in their educational and social development. Kindergarten waits for our 2022 Preschool graduates, but we don’t plan to disappear from their lives; in 13 or so years, we hope to stand by them again as they head off to a college or trade school on a TLC Scholarship.
Blessed to be a Blessing! I hope that you will come out tomorrow to see the mini-mes, to muse on God’s amazing grace, and to join the followers of Jesus who are changing the world for the better.
One day closer,
Pastor Jim 
Apr 29, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Karl Olsen
Greetings, all.
Our friend Carrie Newcomer, singer/songwriter/writer who has appeared here in concert a couple of times, has a podcast on her website. She has a wonderful way of comprehending and engaging the world (along with her friend Parker Palmer) and I thought I’d share one of those with you today. It comes with an extra blessing at the end—a song she wrote to go with a book by a friend of hers. The Story of AND.
So, give it a read, take a listen and enjoy—and approach this world of paradox, differences and contradiction with the spirit of openness and discovery and collaboration. Just enjoy the journey.
Blessings—Karl
Here is Carrie’s post:
This is the next in my series of readings from my Until Now: New Poems book of poetry. I’ve been posting these readings, but now at planting season, I wanted to share this one with everybody.
My friend, Hester, gave my friend, Krista, who then gave to me, heirloom seeds for a strange and delightful gourd plant. Hester loved gourds, which she grew with a passion. Krista thought they were curious, beautiful, kind of wacky and eccentric, which immediately endeared them to her. When I saw her audacious plants vining over the chicken yard fence I stared in delight. The hanging gourds were precisely, exactly, the shape, color and weight of white chicken eggs. They looked like something out of a Dr. Suess book or straight out of Narnia or Oz. Hester explained that in years past, farm wives would put one of these eggs in the nests of brood hens, encouraging them to lay more eggs to fill out the clutch. I shook my head and thought about how the luminous creator of all things must surely have a wonderful and quirky sense of humor. Think about it, the platypus is basically a critter made of left over parts, the possum is kind of an animal that was taken out of the oven half-baked because the evolutionary postman showed up at the door with the genetic material for foxes. And totally don’t get me going about the graceful and glorious giraffe that will never be able to buy a turtle neck sweater off the rack, OR the way male hippos spray their poo to impress female hippos OR the ridiculously awful voice of the otherwise ostentatious peacock. But most of all if anything implies a cosmic sense of humor it would be us, the bright and brilliant, bewildering and beautiful, dangerously and delightfully clever, totally middle-of-the-food chain human being.
On days when I am so deeply discouraged and disturbed about the serious nature of our worst actions as a species, I look at my bowl of dried egg gourds and remember that we are also built of better stuff than that. We are not just shadow or only light. We are complex, curious and both/and. Which has caused me to many times shake my head and say “love is simple, but people..well, people are complicated.” But I find hope in a belief that at heart of a contradiction is an open space. At the intersection of a paradox is possibility. If I can step back long enough for reflection and recognition, the”both/and” is waiting, and in that open space is the possibility of creating something new.
Rabbi Sandy Sasso wrote a lovely children’s story about the word “and” which is the most used word in all the scriptures. In the story a collection of opinionated shapes learn to work together, the find the in-between space where we can create something new. Sandy and I wrote a song together to help illustrate the story. The story was written for children, but I think there is much in the story for we now grown children to ponder. What new might be created if we hold difference in life giving ways. What could happen in that connecting space where “us or them” might become “you and I.”
Click HERE for a link to The Story of And by Rabbi Sandy Sasso.
Click HERE for a link to Carrie’s reading.
And Click HERE to find the song on Trinity’s website.
Apr 28, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Have you ever had the experience of receiving a gift and not knowing what to do with it? I was ten, it was Christmas, and my family was sharing part of the season with a very precious senior couple. Margaret and Gene were childless and had been adopted into our family. Truly, they were as darling as darling can ever get. So, I’m unwrapping my gift from Margaret and Gene and my response left my mother mortified.
It was a jewelry box, to which my response of, “What do I do with a jewelry box?” left my mother aghast at my insensitivity. C’mon, fer crying in the soup, I was a ten-year-old boy! What was I to know about a jewelry box? Margaret and Gene offered a bit of a giggle at my somewhat insensitive immature ten-year-old response to a gift that had been given out of real affection. How many of you still have a gift given to you 60 plus years ago? I do. Margaret and Gene’s jewelry box still sits on my dresser. I don’t have any jewelry. It is the repository of cool things like ear plugs, Canadian coins, and ball markers. Yet its value endures.
Sometimes we have to grow into a gift.
It’s Easter. The resurrected Jesus has, according to a part of the Gospel narrative, appeared to the disciples more than once. My guess is they were more bewildered than a ten-year-old boy gifted with a jewelry box. “What do we do with this?” seems a pretty reasonable response to me. I mean, “Fer crying in the soup” (old Norwegian expression), these were itinerant former Jewish fishermen, tax collectors, and day laborers. What do they know of resurrection? This was all rather new to them… like a jewelry box. Kinda.
What do any of us really know about resurrection? Anyways, Peter’s response to all of this seems rather appropriate, “I’m going fishing.” Speaking for the group he declared, “I am going back to my life.” In the world of family counseling, a fancy word for Peter’s declaration is homeostasis. It means, “the pull to sameness.” After grace and gravity, it is the 3rd most powerful force in the universe. It is why, in life, real core change is so difficult. We might wish for change to occur in a loved one’s behavior but without realizing it we are participating in our “family” system in such a way so as to keep the behavior stuck. I may not like the old stuff, the sometimes-dark stuff, but at least it is familiar. “I’m going fishing” was an expression of homeostasis.
Growing into “resurrection” was to be expected. This was not a wham, bam, thank you ma’am’ slay me in the Spirit kind of conversion. The 2.0 Twelve were going to have to grow into this new life. I find the conclusion to Mark’s Gospel so incredibly helpful.
Without a resurrection appearance the angel beckons his followers to, “Go back to Galilee and there he will find you.” In the midst of the unfolding of the new creation Jesus would come find us. Jesus was going to take responsibility for the finishing of this good work begun in us (a bit of a Pauline theme here).
To push the metaphor just a tish’ more, Jesus would make certain the value inherent in this jewelry box of resurrection would not be lost. It would endure. It would bless us.
Our Trinity Lutheran Family is blessing Brenda and myself with a profound gift of resurrection. With Brenda’s cancer diagnosis we have found ourselves out in the backwoods of Galilee. You are loving us and praying for healing for both us. And we are living our faith trusting that God can, and will, use this diagnosis redemptively in the lives of others as well as our own. Sometimes you just have to grow into the gift. Can cancer be a gift? Maybe, if it is embraced redemptively. So, we pray.
We have taken a few days away before we return to the treatment battle that lies ahead. The photo is Brenda in her happiest place. We are grateful for your love and this time away. God is good? All the time!
Peace and love,
Pastor Tom
Apr 23, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim
Pilgrimage has been a part of religious tradition and experience for thousands of years. Religious pilgrims plan, save, and travel to sacred places; to the thin places between heaven and earth. In Islam every adult is expected to make the Hajj to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lives. The Hindu faithful travel to the River Ganges, Roman Catholics to Vatican City, Buddhists to Lumbini, Nepal. The Golden Temple in India, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Wittenberg, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City are a few of the hundreds of pilgrimage sites in the world.
Israel and the Holy City of Jerusalem have been the primary pilgrimage destination for Jews like Jesus and Christians like us. Jesus and his family made the pilgrimage from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year. Three weeks ago, I was in Jerusalem with a faithful group of TLC pilgrims. This was my 16th pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine over the past 27 years. Some 400 TLC pilgrims have joined me on this amazing journey of faith. They mused on familiar Bible stories while standing on the very ground where those stories took place.
The pilgrims are immersed in the Jordan River, but they are also immersed in a different culture, exposed to 5,000 years of human history; and finally, together they make the ascent to a city that is revered and holy to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. People of faith come from every corner of the world to Jerusalem. It is a once in a lifetime pilgrimage, it is not a vacation. Having said that, the food is fantastic, the hotels are superb, there is lots of fun, laughter, and singing. The photos give you a taste of pilgrimage: a lamb around my shoulders, riding a camel on the Mount of Olives, an Orthodox Jewish father and daughter heading to the Western Wall to pray, the view of the Temple Mount from the altar of the Dominus Flevit Church, and wading into the water of the Jordan. 
Tomorrow our Easter celebration will continue. What were the disciples up to on that first Easter evening? What word will God have for us tomorrow? We will make the pilgrimage down Highway 525 and gather to worship. It is an awesome privilege to share this journey of faith and doubt as God’s people at TLC. I will see you in the morning.
One day closer!
Pastor Jim
Apr 16, 2022 | Pastor Jim's Blog
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘let us into the house of the Lord.’” Psalm 122
Dear Friends in Christ,
It has been three years since we have had the opportunity to celebrate Easter Sunday in a traditional way. Two years ago, the pandemic was fresh upon us, our campus was not open, we were all mostly locked behind closed doors, and Easter was celebrated online. There were no handshakes, no hugs, no Easter garden, no Easter breakfast, no egg hunts.
In the Spring of 2021, our sanctuary was still empty as we continued to produce weekly online worship and care for the health and safety of our people. Easter 2021 was celebrated in our cars in the TLC parking lot. We wore masks and social distanced from each other. We enjoyed breakfast sandwiches from a food truck and dreamed of a day when we would once again be together.
Tomorrow, Easter in all its glory will return to TLC. We will laugh, sing, dance, cry, commune, hunt eggs, and eat breakfast together. Our online ministry will continue as the services are streamed across the country, but Christianity has always been best expressed in the gathering of community. The long-awaited day has come; tomorrow we will gather in the church we love, in a sanctuary that is a “safe place” for all the people of God. Tomorrow, we will no longer be ONE DAY CLOSER; no, we will have arrived.
The Easter Garden will creatively take shape on Saturday, the sanctuary will be prepared, the breakfast will be prepped, our musicians will practice, and every detail of hospitality will be completed as we anticipate your arrival.
It has been three years since we have had the opportunity to share the joy of Easter together. I hope to see you tomorrow.
He is Risen
Pastor Jim
