Pastor Jim’s Blog
Make It A Good Day
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...I would like to start today by sharing with you one of my foundational philosophical and theological beliefs: You do not have the power to ruin God’s day, but you do have the power to ruin your life.This higher power that we...
The Shadow of Death
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom...“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23My imagination has recently been held captive by four words, “the shadow...
Thank You Pastor Eric & Kathleen Ottum
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... This Sunday we will be marking the retirement of Pastor Eric Ottum from Trinity Lutheran Church. Pastor Eric and Kathleen have served the Lutheran Church for more than 53 years. For the past sixteen years they have served...
No Cure for Being Human
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...Author Kate Bowler reminds us that there is no cure for being human. On occasion, the inescapable human condition leaves us with loss, grief, tears, silent graveside visits, and empty chairs at the table. Dust, water, star...
CALLED TO BE ALIVE! – A Rite of Passage
Today’s Word from Jerry R. O’Neill... My rite of passage from midlife to elderhood has been more than ten years in the making. Trinity Lutheran has been a huge part of that journey. So it is with great joy that I can share songs, short poems, and...
The Darkness Cannot Overcome the Light
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...This week one of our TLC families was devastated by the suicide of a beloved father. He died on the very day that his son was celebrating his 14th birthday. I was asked to give thought, words, and perspective to the family....
T-Shirts & Shorts All Summer Long
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...It is hot, hot, hot, but the sanctuary and gym stay remarkably cool even during a heat wave! This Sunday, wear your favorite T-Shirt, wear shorts, wear your bathing suit. (I am kidding Brian Appleby). Come as you are, be...
Look to the Heavens With Wonder
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork. Day by day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.” Psalm 19“When I look to the heavens, the work of your fingers, the...
On Kindness
TODAY'S WORD by Susan Shira with an introduction by Pastor Jim... Most of us are not in a position to change the course of history, affect international policy or travel to far off lands to work with the poorest of the poor. We are simply trying to...
Visitation
A Word from Pastor Tom... It’s a noun. Not a verb, as in “I am visiting with my family.” In the life of Christianity, it is the name we give to the story of a Mary, pregnant with Jesus, who came visiting Elizabeth who was pregnant with John, who grew to be known as...
Where Did 40 Years Go?
A Word from Pastor Jim... 40 years ago today, I was at a rehearsal dinner for a wedding that would take place on July 10th. Now, I have officiated at hundreds of weddings; in fact, I have one this afternoon at Bush Point. In the last decade I have had the privilege of...
A Week at Camp
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... This past Friday evening I returned home exhausted, sore, and thoroughly delighted after spending a week at camp with a group of middle school students. The last time we were at camp was in 2019; it was so very good to be back! On...
Snails Welcome
A Word from Pastor Jim....He was there to greet me when I unlocked the doors on a Tuesday morning. A single snail climbing up the glass, probably unsure of his destination, somewhat weary from the long journey that brought him to TLC.Had he lost his...
THIS WEEK AT TRINITY…
SUNDAY, JULY 3 WORSHIP We invite you to join us for worship both in-person and online at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. this Sunday. Our nursery will be open for infants, toddlers and preschoolers during the 10:00 service. Masks are optional on the TLC campus. You...
Super Heroes at Play!
A Word from Deacon Amy Although preschool ended three weeks ago, the sounds of children laughing and playing have filled our hallways and playgrounds once again. Our amazing teachers and their fantastic teen helpers have put on two exciting day camp programs for our...
Sanctuary
Today's Word from Laura Canby....We all need a sanctuary when our emotional/physical/spiritual reserves run low in the face of loss, voluminous to-do lists, turbulent societal times, disappointment, and the general wear-and-tear of life.Sometimes all we...
Father’s Day
A Word from Pastor Jim... My grandfather was a sharecropper; working a farm that belonged to someone else. My father was a child of the great depression. By age 10 he was working in the farm fields. He was a water boy, delivering buckets of fresh water to those who...
Thank You, Council Members
This past Sunday, June 12, we held our mid-year congregational meeting where we received written reports from staff members along with an overview of our current financial position. Printed reports are available in the church office. At this meeting, the Council...
Pastor Jim’s Mid-Year Report
How does one measure the health and vitality of a community of faith in pandemic days? There are many metrics that we can use to measure congregational health and vitality. Baptisms In the past three months our congregation has celebrated the baptisms of 5 children...
2022 Graduates
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” They don’t stay little very long; we give thanks for the changing seasons and the seasons we share. On Wednesday night, we honored the 2022 Graduates of...
Celebrating Linda Nevermann
Today’s Word from your TLC Staff This Sunday we will be honoring Linda Nevermann for her 24 years of service to Trinity Lutheran Church. The Bell Choir will be playing for one last time under her direction. We would encourage you to bring a card or greeting for Linda...
No Day
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Felicia and I visited the beaches of Normandy last October. The Sunday before leaving Whidbey Island we had talked with Web Halvorsen who, 77 years earlier, had stormed Utah Beach as a part of the greatest invasionary force...
IN, Not OF This World
Today’s Word from Sheila Weidendorf... As many of you know, I live betwixt two worlds—between my very beautiful life here on Whidbey Island and my very beautiful life in Rajasthan, India. The scales are currently in Whidbey’s favor in terms of time—most of my time is...
We Are There!
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Your support for TLC puts you on the frontline locally, nationally, and internationally. You are there on Whidbey Island supporting our neighbors who are hungry, cold, homeless, grieving, or in need of counseling. TLC supports most...
Priesthood of All Believers
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...Martin Luther taught that we are baptized into the priesthood. We are followers of Jesus not just on Sunday morning, but Monday through Saturday as well. We carry the name of Jesus; we are Christians. Your daily work is no...
Daily Life, Daily Faith
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...One of the cornerstone, earth shaking, teachings of Martin Luther is that of the Priesthood of all believers.What is a priest? A priest is one who is ordained to do God’s work. A priest takes vows; a priest wakes up each day...
It’s Too Tall!
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... When he died, I grieved. He was my favorite author. The genius of Pat Conroy as a storyteller was evident from the very beginning. One of his first books, “The Water is Wide,” was made into a movie, “Conrack,” starring John Voight. His...
High Anxiety
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I attended a conference this past week with ELCA pastors from across the country. Our national ELCA Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, was in attendance. Our Lutheran Disaster Relief partners were present and happy to see us. Trinity Lutheran...
Little Things Matter
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,...
Preschool and Beyond
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...
The Story of AND
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...
A Gift Given
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...
Pilgrims
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...
Holy Saturday
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...
Ode to the Journey
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... So, try to picture the scene. It is a beautiful Seattle summer evening and I have accepted an invitation from my younger sibling to join her and her friends at some young adult drinking hole. What can I say? I had no social life. I was...
Human Stories
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus “emptied himself taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:7-8 Every story in the...
Make Me an Instrument
Today’s Word from Sheila Weidendorf As most of you know, I make music… a LOT of music. There’s my core endeavor-- performing western classical chamber music in collaboration with many fine musicians. At any given time, I typically have 5-6 concerts worth of music in...
Doing Our Best
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom,,, I don’t have anything pithy. I regularly try for pithy but I am fresh out of pithy. Sometimes the pithy-well goes dry and for a writer (or would-be writer), all that is left can feel stale or mundane. So here’s the deal, as most of you...
Pride
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... We’ve all heard about prideful peacocks, but what about the lowly turkey? It’s about this time every year that our handsome toms start to strut their stuff, fanning their tails and parading around the barnyard, trying to catch the...
Home
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... “Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem” Isaiah 52:1 Over the years, we have had several different animals come and leave on our little farm. Some were born here and moved on to different...
Take Every Opportunity to Love
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The pandemic has loosened its grip just as the world has unraveled once again around us. Many of us are feeling stressed, depressed, and somewhat helpless as Putin’s war in Ukraine drags on. The images that fill the airwaves are...
The Best Weekend Ever
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... Last weekend I took a group of elementary students to Camp Lutherwood in Bellingham. I cannot tell you how good it felt to load the van with kids and head out of town. It has been two years since I’ve driven a van full of Trinity kids...
I Will Not Let You Go
Today’s Word from Karl Olsen... “God has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b OK. I’m holding on to that. Looking around our church, island, region and world these days… it’s something I have to remember often. A little rambling… I live a pretty...
Ukraine Refugee Relief Response
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Thank you for your generous and compassionate support of the refugee crisis in Eastern Europe. We might not be able to stop this war, but we can make a difference! Since March 2nd, Trinity has already given $25,000 to Eastern Europe. We...
Thankful to Be on This Journey with You…
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The Covid19 pandemic threatened our community on a variety of levels. Over the past two years many have been sick with the virus, but few have been seriously ill, and to the best of my knowledge, no one from TLC was ever...
The Nobility of Longing
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... No one has ever accused me of being noble. Nope. Been accused of lots of things - selfish, talks too much, really sad golfer, doesn’t listen (who does?), insensitive (“Siri, why have I had trouble with women?” “This is Alexa.”)… you...
Good Fences
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy You have probably heard it said that good fences make good neighbors. We have come dangerously close to being poor neighbors lately. You may recall that during a wind storm in November, we had a large Madrona tree fall on one of our...
Is It Age Appropriate?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Listening is important. I have listened through the years to many parents who were exasperated, fatigued, and generally flummoxed over the behavior of their children. The age of the children? Babies who won’t sleep, terrible two-year...
We Made it Through the Door
Today’s Word from Ron Roesler... Have you ever wondered what causes some people to attach themselves to fringe beliefs? Beliefs that defy conventional wisdom, or beliefs of those who think radically different than yourself? When I was younger, I had difficulty...
A Firm Foundation
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... We have been entrusted with a precious gift. The gift of a church, a community, a beautiful and flawed gathering of the young and old. We have been entrusted with a precious gift: a community of diverse opinions, political persuasions,...