Pastor Jim’s Blog
Let’s Get This Straight…
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the...
God Loves You
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... "Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change." I think that it is safe to say that most of us would benefit from behavioral changes. The changes that I am talking...
Take Another Shot of Courage
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Sunday we will gather at the altar. Sunday we will join a parade of broken humans, journeying side by side down the center aisle of this safe place we call the sanctuary. We will move slowly with canes and walkers, oxygen tanks trailing...
Why Worship?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... WHY WORSHIP? God commands us to worship. Worship is not optional for the Christian. God commands that we gather to hear God’s Word, to sing hymns of praise, and to lift our prayers to God. Worship is THE PLACE where the family gathers...
Thoughts for the Journey
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom Kidd... It has not been an infrequent comment of incredulity received when I suggest I am more appreciative of the church season of Lent as opposed to Advent. The Four Sundays of Advent prepare us for Christmas whereas Lent is 40 days (not...
Live Immediately
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “We are little butterflies flying around for a day, thinking that we will make it forever.” - Carl Sagan This from a brilliant man and scientist who died at Fred Hutchinson in Seattle at the age of 62. On April 12, 1912, William John...
Imago Dei
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was the dawn of creation, the seas were teeming with life, birds filled the air, flowers bloomed, trees blossomed, and it was good. On the sixth day of creation, immediately preceding a day of rest, God created humans. God said, “Let...
God’s Love: A Valentine For Us All
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... In just a few days we will celebrate a “red rose” event. A day of romance or romantic recall. A day to celebrate love by exchanging cards or flowers or phone calls or hugs.Sweet words and loving wishes are exchanged each year on the...
Earthquake Disaster Relief
God's children in Turkey and Syria are hurting. Devastating earthquakes have left thousands dead, many still missing, and many more homeless and heartbroken. Lutheran Disaster Response is on the ground right now, offering temporary shelter and critically needed care...
Intention
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “The grass withers and the flower fades.” Isaiah 40:8 When I was a teenager, it seemed that I was always hungry. I could eat most anytime, and when ordering food at a restaurant, or gathering around the family dinner table, I always...
Inferiority Complex
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... In the days after Christmas, I read historian David McCullough’s gripping biography of our nation’s 33rd President, Harry S. Truman. The book is simply titled, “Truman,” and it begins long before Harry Truman’s birth in May of 1884. The...
Life Sentence… Without Parole
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... In the fall of 2001, I was 42 years old. I had one daughter in High School, one in Middle School, and one in her last year at the Elementary School. At Trinity Lutheran Church, on September 9th, we dedicated a new addition to our campus...
Hold On To Hope
Today's Word from Pastor Jim... "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 I don't live in a Pollyanna world. I see more heartache and death than the average person. I hear stories, tear-filled stories and...
Free At Last
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty we are free at last.”Martin Luther King, Jr. – August 28, 1963 “Nobody’s free, until everybody’s free.”Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil Rights leader History tells us that the United States has...
My Heart is Full
Today’s Word from Sheila Weidendorf... Oh, how precious are you, am I, are we, Children of God all and so well-crafted in God’s own image! And, too, we are beautiful, with all of our gifts and graces, our failings AND our foibles. Yet, knowing this, believing that God...
Am I Safe?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... She was cute as a button, swim goggles in place, her pink one-piece suit a perfect complement to her sandy brown hair, which hung in a ponytail off the back of her head. She was three years old, not a grandchild of mine, though she...
REMEMBERING 2022
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... And so it is that 2022 will slip rather silently into the unchanging pages of history. Its story has now been written; the year will not be revisited or relived. It is history. We will remember 2022 as a difficult but remarkable year....
Looking Back / Moving Forward
Today's Word from guest writer Laura Canby... Happy almost New Year! Just a few days days ago at church, Robin Edgeman and I were reflecting how fast the years are passing. I remember my late father telling me that the older one gets, the more time speeds up. I now...
Who Was There?
A Christmas Eve Word from Pastor Jim... Merry Christmas my friends! I hope to see you tonight as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. Our 4 p.m. service will include favorite Christmas Carols, special music, and a skit that is sure to delight the young and old....
Don’t Lose the Story
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I think about her often. She lived in a modest home built by her father. She walked with a limp, and drove a Cadillac. When I came over, we made fudge together. She taught me how to play poker. She was the first person I knew with a...
Cheers!
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It has been a tough year for those on Wall Street and for those who have IRA or retirement money invested in the financial markets. Not every year on Wall Street is a good year. Many of us have felt some anxiety as our 401K dwindled to...
The Season that Lends Itself to Reminiscing
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... This is a season that lends itself to reminiscing. There are so many memories embedded in the music, customs, food, and festivities of Christmas. Together we will remember the journey of Mary and Joseph as they traveled under the...
All I Want For Christmas
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... What great excitement filled the Lindus household in the 1960’s when the Sears catalog arrived in the mail. Pen in hand, my sister, my brother, and I would take turns thumbing through the most amazing array of toys, gadgets, and...
Thanksgiving
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...
Reflection on a Rich Man’s Art Collection
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...
Country Western Sunday
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...
The Illusion of Independence
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....
Honoring Those Who Served the Cause of Freedom
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...
An Attitude of Gratitude
Today’s Word from Laura Canby... . 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."...
Leave Something Behind
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Sunday is All Saints Sunday at TLC. We will be lighting candles as we remember and give thanks for the lives of those saints who journeyed with us at TLC: Ed Oetken, Web Halvorsen, Else Mills, Agnes Morgan, Betty Lehman,...
Martin Luther & The Reformation
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... 505 years ago, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He wished to spark debate among academics; he hoped that honest discussion might lead to honest...
Truth, Beauty, Goodness
Today’s Word from Laura Canby... "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."– Philippians 4:18...
Time to Come Home
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...The pandemic was disruptive to every aspect of American society. Senior citizens were isolated, assisted care facilities locked down, and essential workers took care of our basic needs. Meanwhile, students and teachers had to...
Borders…drawing circles…
Today’s Word from Karl Olsen... Psalm 27:13 (NIV)"I remain confident of this:I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." I’ve been spending time on the border lately. Actually, I’ve crossed several borders this year—Israel/Palestine,...
Thanks for NOTHING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... OK, the sermon last Sunday was about nothing! And everyone was so appreciative. They said, “Pastor, thanks for nothing.”So please remember NOTHING that I say.There is NOTHING we can do to make God love us more, and there is...
In Loving Memory of Pastor Dan Erlander
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Pastor Daniel Erlander joined our staff in 1995, and served Trinity for nearly a decade. Dan brought so many gifts to us. He was a gifted teacher, writer, illustrator, and preacher. His reach was far beyond the shores of...
We’re in This Together
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... It’s been a while since I’ve shared a story from our busy little farm. There has been a lot of activity over the summer with animals coming and going, and fairs and shows all over the state. I’m sure there is more than one tale that I...
Protecting Jesus: Strange Concept
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Then little children were being brought to Jesus in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them.” Matthew 19:13It was there from the earliest days of the...
The Birds Sang Om Shantih For My Mother
Today's Word from Sheila Weidendorf It was a week after my mother’s passing. Just back from Minnesota with her ashes in tow, my husband and I set up a pooja (altar) in the back yard beneath a giant cedar tree. (In his Hindu tradition, vigil is kept in this way through...
We Need Each Other
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where is my help to come?” Psalm 121The suffering of the young, the innocent, and the righteous has a long history of mystifying people of faith. Where is God in my suffering? Does God...
Lutheran Disaster Relief for Hurricane Ian Victims
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... 100% of our gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response go directly to help our neighbors in the path of Hurricane Ian. TLC has a long history of coming to the aid of those who suffer from natural disasters. We can give with...
Who Are We?
Today's Word from Karl Olsen... Deb and I have been doing some work on the house this late summer and early autumn. There’s nothing like the promise of another La Niña winter to make you “find” time you didn’t think you had to accomplish those outdoor...
They Come Every Week
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2What was it like, the first time you walked in the doors of TLC? Were you nervous? Did you...
Back to Preschool
Today's Word from Deacon Amy... Preschool is back!! We're excited to have the voices and laughter of our youngest friends back in the classrooms, hallways, and out the doors. It is so good to be together again!Once again, we are spending a large portion of...
The Last Statement of Your Life
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... What will be the last statement of your life?Many cultures have put a great emphasis on one’s final words, often spoken on a deathbed. Consider for a moment these final words of famous people:The poet Emily Dickenson said,...
Do Not Judge
Today's Word by Pastor Jim Lindus...Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged.” Matthew 7:1...There are a variety of Spiritual Gifts listed in the Bible: Prophecy, Serving, Teaching,...
My Hero
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... Under the category of less than sincere, it would not be uncommon of me to offer, “You are moving way up my list of heroes... it’s a pretty lengthy list.” Picture a variety of settings... someone just made a 12-inch putt for...
Be Still and Know…
Today’s Word from guest writer Laura Canby... Be still and know that I am God. -- Psalm 46:10 Late August and early September evenings will usually find me on the beach at Lagoon Point or Bush Point, fishing rod in hand, hoping to land a silver salmon. So...
If You Want to Go Far
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim....“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” --African Proverb... We have stayed home for 30 months. We locked down and masked up. We have achieved much in these pandemic days. We have cast a...
Thank You Teacher Felicia
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...On Sunday September 4th we will be marking another transition at TLC. Felicia Lindus will join Pastor Eric and Linda Nevermann on the roles of the retired.Felicia joined TLC , with a toddler and a baby in tow, in October of...