Pastor Jim’s Blog
BEHIND THE SCENES
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all...
COMMUNITY AND PURPOSE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread...
MARTIN LUTHER CHRISTMAS REFLECTION
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I share with you this day a Christmas reflection by Martin Luther. “Mary laid God’s Son in a manger. Why not in a cradle, on a bench, or on the ground? Because they had no cradle, bench, table, nothing but a manger of the ox and sheep....
PERSPECTIVES
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 What a whirlwind it has been in the Advent prelude to a grand Christmas celebration. Trinity Lutheran Church has...
FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim.... “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die.” Ecclesiastes 3. Why do we have such a hard time with this? Why do we deny that death is a part of the journey? We...
WORDS OF KINDNESS
Today's Word from Pastor Jim... "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord." Psalm 19:14 Words are important. Words have the power to heal and the power to inflict great harm. "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but...
INSECURITIES
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... We sat in my office last week discussing a variety of subjects; the loss of a spouse, the impending birth of a first grandchild, philosophy, theology, mysticism, and our baptismal call to service. My friend is well educated, successful...
GIVEN FOR YOU
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends". John 15:13 It was early on Thursday morning when I walked into his room at Providence Hospital in Everett. A smile on his face hid the discomfort that he...
THEY WILL KNOW YOU ARE CHRISTIANS BY YOUR LOVE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I have had the privilege of visiting some of the most amazing cathedrals in Europe, awe inspiring worship spaces, spires that reach toward heaven lifting the eyes and spirits of God’s people, churches gilded in gold and adorned with...
INTIMATE BETRAYALS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will...
FOR ALL THE SAINTS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was a warm humid August day in DeKalb, Illinois. It was the Summer of 1984, after three years of marriage and two years of seminary Felicia and I were headed out on the Oregon trail. Like the pioneers of old we headed west that day...
HERE I STAND
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I have just returned from a Reformation tour in Germany. For ten days 21 pilgrims considered the teachings of an unknown, seemingly inconsequential Augustinian Monk who would change the course of history. On October 31st, 1517, Martin...
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... On many issues the Bible is unclear, ambiguous even. Some of the Biblical meanings are lost over the centuries of time and the changing cultures of human history. But the Bible is very clear on other issues. Mark Twain said, “It is not...
HORSE TAILS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was early morning in Moab, Utah. Before heading to the National Parks to behold the wonder of God’s creation I took a two-mile stroll into town to a particular donut shop that had caught my eye the previous day. I passed a large...
BETWEEN HOSPITAL AND HOSPICE
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 13:2 Last week we considered the symmetry of God’s created order. The similarities present at our Alpha and...
ALPHA AND OMEGA
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... She emerged from the darkness of the womb on the third day of August. It was a Sunday. The people of Trinity gathered to share the journey of life, to sing hymns of praise, and to offer their prayers. Near the end of the service a...
THIS IS MY LIFE
I quit writing three years ago. I didn’t think much about it at the time but since I had lost my journal there existed an easy excuse. I journaled through Brenda’s six-month battle with cancer. With both her battle and my journal lost there was little motivation to...
DO NOT BE AFRAID
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The most common phrase spoken by God to human beings in the Bible is simply, “Do Not Be Afraid.” God says this over and over again because God knows us intimately and God knows that we are afraid. Our confidence is shaken easily. Like...
New Beginnings
Today's Word from Deacon Amy For me, September always feels more like a new year than January. Perhaps this is because most of my life revolves around the academic calendar. September is a season of new beginnings – and new beginnings are filled with hope. “May the...
BORN ON SECOND BASE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The Mariners are fighting for a playoff spot. Many of us are old enough to remember the Mariners “refuse to lose” season in 1995. Making a remarkable playoff run and then beating the Yankees seemed like a miracle. In that final Yankee...
NOT ALONE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... In the early morning hours, I stood at the bedside of a dying man. Brought to consciousness by the sound of my voice calling his name, his eyes opened briefly to acknowledge my presence. In this liminal space between this world and...
WHAT IF?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The question was raised to me this week. “Pastor, what if it is not true? What if it is not true: the Jesus story, the God story, heaven and hell. What if it is not true? What if THIS is all there is?” I love questions of faith and...
CALLED AND SENT
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... What a joyful morning it was at Trinity Lutheran Church last Sunday when two of our Trinity Preschool alums were baptized into the Christian faith and into our membership. Fourteen-year-old Matias and his eight-year-old sister Azalea...
MAKING ROOM FOR A WHOLE LOT OF GRAY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... What do we agree on? Where do we have common ground? What does it mean to follow Jesus? Is there a Christian position that addresses the cultural, legal and social issues that threaten to divide us? We believe that God created human...
LIFE WOULDN’T WORK WITHOUT THE LITTLE PEOPLE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I was sipping my coffee as I watched the sun rise this morning. The smell of freshly brewed coffee is one of life’s simple pleasures. At TLC one of my primary jobs is making the coffee. Each morning thirsty pilgrims wander into our...
TIME IN A BOTTLE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was September 20, 1973, he had just finished a concert in Louisiana, his star was rising, his new single “I Got a Name” was scheduled to hit the radio waves the next day. He would board a plane that night with 5 others. They were...
MAKING DEALS WITH HIGHER POWERS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was a much-anticipated event, there had been one delay after another. His brother and now even his younger cousin kept losing teeth. They were achieving considerable financial gain from the discarded fangs now confiscated by a...
THE CASE FOR LAUGHTER
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The Birth of Isaac Genesis 21: “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him....
GLEANINGS: WHAT WILL YOU LEAVE BEHIND?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim To whom much is given, much will be expected. “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living...
POLLYANNA
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Is our faith Pollyanna? Don’t miss the little words! On this the first day of Summer I would like to share with you two oft quoted passages from the Bible. There are big themes present here, but in each verse, there is also a little...
FLAGS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” Psalm 24:1 It was a high-tension playoff game; the season was on the line. My 8-year-old grandson had scored the tying run and now he was crouched...
CERTAINTY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... On this the first Saturday in June 2025 I would like to take a moment to talk to you about “nothing.” It is a subject that I know a little about. So, if you have nothing better to do, stay with me for a few minutes and you may learn...
Women’s Retreat September 19-21
We are thrilled to host former member, Shaleen Camery-Hoggatt, as the keynote speaker for our fall Women's Retreat at Warm Beach Conference Center in Stanwood. The focus of the retreat will be around Shaleen's new book, "Beloved is Where We Begin." (Purchasing the...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim I was at Harborview making a visit two weeks ago. I had the uniform on: black suit, black shoes, a black shirt with a clerical collar, and a bedside Bible in my hand. Ready to enter a struggle of life and death. It is a long trip to...
THE GREATEST GENERATION
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 “There on the beaches of Normandy I began to reflect on the wonders of these...
WITHOUT A VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Without a vision the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18 I would like to give a shout out this day to Steve Schrecengost, Terry Otey, a woman named Ruby, and Gert Tasche. Twenty-eight years ago, Steve Schrecengost was an active member of...
WHAT IS THE POINT?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... He sat in my office, a cup of coffee in his hand, a slight tremor in his little finger. “Tell me pastor, what is the point?” “What is the point of what?” “All of it. I just don’t get it. I wake up every morning and it is the same thing...
MAGIC GENIE, LOVING MENTOR OR VENDING MACHINE?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Exodus 34:5–6 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows...
THERE ALSO WILL BE SINGING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Bertolt Brecht was a German playwright and poet born in 1898. By most accounts he was one of the most influential authors of the 20th Century. For the German people of Bracht’s generation life would amount to a series of horrific...
SILENT SATURDAY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The events of Good Friday are gruesome and painful. It is not the kind of story that I would tell in detail to our Trinity Preschoolers. The savage violence has always been a regrettable part of the human story and it is sad to say...
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Breslau, Germany (now Poland) on the 4th day of February 1906. At age 21, in December 1927, Bonhoeffer completed his Doctor of Theology degree from Humboldt University of Berlin. He crossed the Atlantic...
SNAILS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24 If the weather conditions are right, he greets me in the morning just outside my office. I knew his parents and...
MONDAY WITH AVA
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was a Monday morning; I stood on the deck of the Kitsap facing the ferry terminal in Mukilteo. Having chosen a bright blue hat for visibility, I waved it high in the air until my three-year-old granddaughter Ava could see it. With...
CORNERSTONES: REVISITING OUR FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... We are living through another unique season in our lives and in the history of our country. Many of us are weary. With romantic recall, we wish to go back to simpler days when civility was the norm, public decorum was valued, and our...
FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim On the 15th day of March 2025 there is considerable anxiety in our community. Our country and our world seem unstable, unhinged, and the nightly news offers little comfort. Five years ago on this date, we were entering into a season of...
BORN TO LEAVE
Today's Word from Pastor Jim “As for mortals, their days are like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” Psalm 103 My friends, readers, sojourners on the journey of life, I have an...
IN THE BEGINNING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1 It is the earliest confession of faith among our human ancestors. It is not a scientific explanation. It speaks of intention. God created with intention. Meaning...
WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim.... “Lord, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139 When you walk into Payless what do you see? When you walk on the ferry what do you see? When you...
DISAPPEARING RUNWAYS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3 On Sunday, February 9th 40 couples stood before the altar at TLC and renewed their sacred marriage vows. One of our couples had been married...
ALICE LEE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice… for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the...
CHRISTMAS SUICIDES
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Just before Christmas one of our TLC families was devastated by the suicide of a beloved husband and son-in-law. He died as the family had gathered to celebrate his wife’s birthday. It is hard to imagine such grief. Suicide is the...
VOWS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? I have not had great luck with New Year’s Resolutions in the past. Given my track record, I decided this year to make two resolutions: I will make every attempt to gain 5 pounds, and I will not...
YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.” Stan Laurel. I realize that many who are reading this have no idea who Stanley Laurel was. He was of course, one half of the comedy team “Laurel and Hardy.” Together, Laurel...
NO USER MANUAL
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It is now the 28th day of December. Jesus is three days old. Mary and Joseph have not had a good night’s sleep for a week or more, they are exhausted. The baby is not sleeping through the night. He may be the Son of God, but he is also...
WAITING FOR 1:19
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim.... “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 130:6 In Biblical times people lived in walled villages, military camps were enclosed with various defensive barricades. The...
UNCLE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was 7:52 am on Sunday, December 8th. The sanctuary was filling for the 8 o’clock service. I had run to my office to grab a scripture reference for a waiting parishioner, paper in hand, one step back toward the door when my phone...
WAITING AND PREPARING: WHICH DO YOU PREFER?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim I called customer service and received an automated response. It seemed that all the customer service agents were helping other clients. After being told how important my business was to their company, the automated voice told me that the...
THANKSGIVING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Your TLC Staff wishes you all a festive, reflective, memorable Thanksgiving 2024. 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...
THERE’S AN OLD MAN ON THE ROOF
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The Christmas lights are going up at Trinity Lutheran Church. The steeple is lit up year-round, a beacon of hope shining high above Highway 525. In December each year, the white lights of the steeple are joined by the colors of...
REFLECTION ON THE CHURCH AS HOSPITAL
Today’s Word from Sandra Moore... I was fortunate to make a trip to Italy with a TLC group a few years ago. The day before we reached Rome, we stopped at one of the medieval hilltop towns called San Gimignano. Tuscany is breathtakingly beautiful. The walled town with...
BUCKETS OF MONEY!
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Blessed to be a Blessing, Trinity Lutheran Church is touching the lives of our island neighbors and reaching the far corners of the world. We do it with buckets of money. Every gift to Trinity Lutheran Church falls safely into one of...
Our Leader is Unchanged
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim What changed overnight? I sit in my office early this morning pondering God’s calling. “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” That has not changed. Some post-election...
28 CANDLES AND COUNTING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was a warm humid August day in DeKalb, Illinois. It was the Summer of 1984, after three years of marriage and two years of seminary Felicia and I were headed out on the Oregon trail. Like the pioneers of old we headed west that day...
GIVING THANKS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Trinity Lutheran Church 2024—we are Blessed to be a blessing. We are blessed by God and in response to blessings too numerous to count we seek to give back. We give thanks for the history of our Church and this Sunday we will give...
LUTHER NAILS IT
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... 507 years ago, on October 31st, 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 reform....
MAKE YOUR FINAL STATEMENT IN LIFE CONSISTENT WITH THE VALUES THAT GUIDED YOUR LIFE.
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Colonel James Anderson, have you heard of him? He is the man who laid the groundwork for a legacy that would touch every state in the Union and many countries throughout the world. James Anderson was born in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania...
THE OLD MAN OF ISTANBUL
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 A week ago today, I was walking the streets of Istanbul, Turkey. It was a Saturday morning in a city that rarely sleeps. The streets...
Sowing Seeds
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... “Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:8 As I was walking through the courtyard on Wednesday afternoon, getting everything set up for youth group that evening, I...
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN: A Pastoral Letter from February 19, 2003
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... We live in a confusing world. Advances in technology and the availability of information have made life all the more complex. To make matters worse, we live in a fallen world. We live in a world where sometimes we only have bad...
WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR CHURCH?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come into God’s presence with singing.” Psalm 100 What is up with your church? Does your church really encourage folks to dress in Hawaiian garb for a luau...
MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Life is hard for everyone, be kind to those you meet this day! Viktor Frankl had been married for nine months when his family was taken on a Nazi prisoner train to Theresienstadt. He would spend the next three years at in four...
Scholarship Thank Yous
MAKE YOUR FINAL STATEMENT IN LIFE CONSISTENT WITH THE VALUES THAT GUIDED YOUR LIFE. Dear TLC and Pastor Jim, I wanted to send a quick note to let you know how deeply grateful I am for the scholarships my son has received these past two years. In many ways they have...
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... He was a 44-year-old Presbyterian Pastor, a husband and father of three. He was a fitness fanatic who exercised regularly. In the fall of 2023 he hosted a meal at his family home. When the meal was over, the dishwasher loaded and the...
WHY WORSHIP?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... A few thoughts about why we gather to worship God. If we are to have this conversation, then it helpful to know what worship will NOT do for us: Your worship attendance will not get you into heaven. Your worship attendance will not get...
TREE STARTS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit.” The words of Jesus in the Gospel of John. She was old, parts of her were just worn...
YOU ARE THERE!
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... What is the connection between the money in the offering plate and abundant life? There are many answers to that question. Your offerings to the church have a positive effect upon neighbors far and near. Their quality of their life is...
THE ABRIDGED TALE OF TWO MARTINS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... For the better part of 50 years Steve Martin has tickled our funny bones on stage and screen. Martin became our favorite “Wild and Crazy Guy” as he entertained millions with a unique combination of music, dance, and slapstick. His...
IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... This simple confession of faith is the first to be recorded among humans. Our first story is one of creation. It is a true story; however, it is not a scientific account of God’s activity. Seven days, seven 24-hour periods, is hardly...
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIALIZATION
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... In the second chapter of our first human story, in the Genesis of human history, as God was bringing this wonderful world into existence, it was clear that there was a problem with creation. “God said, ‘It is not good that the man...
SAINT AND SINNER – SIMUL JUSTUS ET PECCATOR
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... She made the routine journey from Maple Ridge to Rite Aid without any problems. Patiently she waited in line, purse in one hand and a cane in the other. She approached the counter, her prescriptions were filled, she presented her...
WHAT DO I KNOW
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus said, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the...
GIVING THANKS FOR BREADED FISH
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are a variety of services, but the same Lord. To each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” I Corinthians 12 It was the Fall of 1999. People were...
SHARED HUMANITY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.” John 19:20 I have studied four languages in my life: English, Spanish, Greek...
CRITICISM
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I learned very early on that one could not survive in parish ministry without a thick skin. If one is too sensitive or too easily offended, this work will chew them up. We get more than our share of criticism. Most of the criticism is...
A DIFFICULT CONCEPT
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 Grace is a very difficult concept for us to understand. It...
HONORING THE FALLEN
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for...
HEZEKIAH’S TUNNEL
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... 2700 years ago, Hezekiah was the King of Israel. The masterpiece of his Kingdom was the Holy City of Jerusalem, the City of David. Built at the top of Mount Zion in the Judaean hills, Jerusalem had one primary water source: the Gihon...
MOTHER’S WOMB
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:12 I had never met her before that traumatic day in the hospital. I had never met her as the winter of 1959 grew old and the decade of the...
CELEBRATE SUMMER WORSHIP
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.” Philippians 1:3 I would like to personally invite you to worship on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26th. This will be the...
PRACTICES
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Golf is not a game of perfect.” Bob Rotella I grew up on the golf course. In the first decade of my golfing life, golf was about competition. Competition against myself and competition against other players. There are no defensive...
CAN WE TRUST GOD ON THIS?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be...
SELF-EVIDENT TRUTHS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus Wherever we find truth we have found a revelation of God. If that “truth” is found in science, it is of no threat to us. If that “truth” is found in philosophy or some other religious...
REFLECTIONS ON THE MIDDLE EAST
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... This tiny strip of land connecting three continents has been the site of war and conquest throughout human history. It is the place of great battles, the Pharaohs of Egypt sent chariots to conquer it, Joshua fought the battle of...
COURTROOM OR SANCTUARY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I have appeared in courtrooms many times over the past 40 years. Only once was I on trial. I suppose that is a bit dramatic, somewhat of an overstatement, but I was the defendant in that case. Someone had used the Trinity Lutheran...
THE BIBLE’S CALL TO CELEBRATE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... 3000 years ago, the Psalmist wrote these words: “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Psalm 95 Now keep in mind that the life expectancy 3000 years ago was only 25...
SILENT SATURDAY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The events of Good Friday are gruesome and painful. It is not the kind of story that I would tell in detail to our Trinity Preschoolers. The savage violence has always been a regrettable part of the human story and it is sad to say that...
KINDNESS ALL AROUND
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... Kindness has been a big topic around here lately. We have a group meeting on Fridays to discuss a book about kindness, which has sparked conversations in several other places as well. I have a favorite t-shirt that has the words...
HOLY WEEK MUSINGS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... This Sunday we will descend the Mount of Olives in a parade of palms, as Jesus enters the Holy City of Jerusalem for the last time. There were thousands along the pilgrim path that day. Peasants from small villages and religious...
ANONYMOUS LETTERS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Thank you for reading, for sending me emails, for your kind words, and for your gentle reminders that I don’t have all the answers. I read every letter, email, and text. I enjoy conversations that are sparked by the power of the written...
LAW AND GOSPEL
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was drummed into us at Seminary. Each sermon must find a balance between the law and the gospel. The law and our genuine inability to live up to the law, offers us a constant reminder of our human failings. This part of the sermon is...